Lost Loves of Meadow Lane
by writtenbyabdex
Summary: Lost between the man that bought her and the one that could not afford her, Bella tries to navigate the bonds of an arranged marriage that separates her from the man she loves. How does a man move-on when his heart is meant for the one person he can not have. How do their lives effect those who live a century later? Will what was lost be found? Romance, Mystery, and angst.
1. Chapter 1

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 _ **Edward**_

 _ **June 15, 1911**_

 _Edward's mother was standing on the porch, rifle in hand, as three figures approached the house late into the evening. As they approached she couldn't deny recognizing the unruly head of copper colored hair and the all to familiar walk of her son._ _Edw_ ard _startled when his mother dropped the rifle, ran down the steps,_ _across the stone path and_ _,_ _through_ _the wrought iron gate capturing Bella in her arms. His mother didn't have to say anything. He knew she felt the same_ - _complete._

 _Bella was home._

 _At first, it was awkward. They were not the same innocent people they had been the year prior. They had both suffered in ways the other would never understand, but Bella and Riley were safe. Edward didn't know what that man, James, had put them through, but when Bella woke up screaming, Edward wanted to kill the man himself. Neither Bella nor Riley would discuss what they had been through,_ _and Edward was too afraid to ask._

 _Much to his dismay, he knew Bella was still married to someone else,_ _and he didn't know if they could ever forget that. It wasn't something he liked thinking about, and unfortunately, any physical relationship between them, again, was impossible unless they could find a way to end that unholy bond. He would stay celibate for the rest of his life as long as she was in it, and he believed she felt the same._

 _Together, Edward and Bella prayed and studied God's Word. As Bella became more relaxed, they talked and got to know each other again. Edward got to know Riley too. He wasn't his father,_ _but as time went on Riley began looking up to Edward as if he were. Edward's family had grown. Edward decided that Riley was the brother his mother was never able to have._

 _He also wondered with the way things were between him and Bella if he would ever have children of his own_ _._

* * *

 **Alice**

 **2011**

"Yes, Mom," Alice said taking a deep breath. "Everything's fine. The realtor delivered the keys to me this morning-" She let out a breath, waiting for her mom to take one too. "I already have a handyman on his way over to compile a to-do list . . ." Alice wondered if her mother had finally broken down and added Caller ID to her phone because she always seemed to answer when Alice called. "Yes, Mom, the house has been empty for some time. No, mom the power isn't turned on yet... No, Mom, there's no phone . . ." Being the worry wart her mother was, she would not stop interrupting . "Mom, I have my cell, so it's fine. Mom, is Dad home?" she finally asked. rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted as his voice filtered to her ear and he enthusiastically started asking questions. "Yes, I'm getting settled in. I have a lot of cleaning to do before anything else. I'm waiting for the handyman as we speak," she said. "Yes, Dad, I'll be fine living in the camper." Her parents were such worrywarts. "I'm hoping it won't take too much to get the house ready." She listened to her dad's concerns and she knew they loved her. "You know I always am, Dad . . . Okay. I'll talk to you soon . . . Yes **,** Dad, I'll call home every day and let you know how things are going . . . bye, Dad." Hanging up the phone she shook her head and smiled, knowing she had gotten off easy this time. Now, it was time to get busy working.

Alice still couldn't believe how she had gotten the house. She had been looking for the house that just said, _I'm yours for the tak_ _i_ _ng_. The poor realtor who had driven her around was sure the young woman had lost her mind when they drove past the run down property on there way to another house a few miles away. There was no For Sale sign posted when Alice had begged her to stop.

 _She was never going to forget how completely she had fallen in love with the house as she walked the length of the dilapidated f_ ence _, letting her fingers gently rub the top of the stone columns and mix of picket fencing and metal lengths as she worked her way to the wrought iron gate. She could have walked through an opening in the fence, but something just told her she had to use the gate. She put her weight behind the shove it took to get the gate opened, but it finally gave_ way _with a groan. The stone walkway was surrounded by weeds;_ _the lawn looked half dead and brown, only the weeds had any green to them._

 _She made her way across the rocks which were buried knee deep in prickly weeds, to the front steps of the porch. Two of the three steps were chipped away in the middle and looked aged by the years and forces of nature. The front deck needed work and the balusters for the cap rail_ _were in desperate need of attention, some needing to be replaced all together._

 _She peeked in between the boards nailed over the broken windows into the living space. Someone's abandoned furniture was tossed haphazardly_ around _the room and_ _covered in a thick layer of dust. Papers were splayed around,_ _continuing the same level of neglect as the rest of the house. As she looked around Alice noticed the house had electrical lines running_ along _the side of the house along with a wire she guessed was the phone line._

 _Traveling around the outside of the house and peeking in the windows,_ _she saw the kitchen had a sink and assumed the house had been fitted with plumbing at some point, though she couldn't see a bathroom. She didn't notice an outbuilding._

 _By the time she made her way back to the wrought iron gate, she was sold. It was perfect for her. She couldn't explain the pull she felt for the house then and doubted she ever could._ _W_ _hat she saw_ _was what the house could be and not what it was. The old house had a future,_ _if she could figure out how to obtain it._

 _Alice decided to let the realtor show her the intended house,_ _but her heart just wasn't there. Her mind still lingered to the dilapidated saltbox just miles away._

"Excuse me, Ms. Brandon, I've compiled a list of repairs just to get things started. Are you sure this old house is worth it? It's been abandoned for years," Seth, the handyman, asked, bringing her back to the present. Alice knew the list would be a lengthy one. Anything neglected as badly or for as long as this old house had been, would be. She examined the list, already knowing most of the repairs needed.

"Do you want to make the materials list, or would you like me to make it?" Alice asked, looking up at the young man.

"That's up to you, Ma'am," Seth replied.

"Tell you what, I'll start a list tonight and you can look over it tomorrow and see how I did. Then we can make any adjustments needed in the morning," she suggested stuffing the list of repairs into her pocket and pulling her hair into a messy bun. She had been sporting this hairstyle for days.

"That sounds fair. I'll see you in the morning, Ms. Brandon."

"Alice," she reminded him yet again..

"Yes, Ma'am, Alice," Seth replied before turning and heading to his truck.

Seth had been recommended to her by the owner of the local hardware store, Mike Newton. He had told her the kid worked cheap and for this type of job he would be perfect. Seth's dad had taught him a lot and Mike had seen him on many jobs. The kid wasn't a slacker either even though he was only eighteen.

Alice had needed a shed delivered, along with equipment to tackle the yard work, and had Seth deliver them before she committed herself to hiring him; call it a test, and he passed it.

Seth had pulled up in a beat up green pick-up hauling a handcrafted trailer. Although Alice had hated to do it, she had to tear down a portion of the fence so he could back up the trailer to where the shed needed to be placed. He even spent a few minutes assembling the lawn mower and filling the gas and oil before approaching Alice.

Alice promptly paid him and told him to be back in the morning if he was available. He assured her that he was, and at eight in the morning, he was sitting on the porch with a cup of hot coffee.

"I see you were busy after I left yesterday. I could have done that for you, you know," Seth said as Alice joined him. The fact was, she had been _very_ busy after he left.

She had spent the previous afternoon mowing the lawn and exposing the rock path that lead to the house, uncovered a few other unexpected treasures. After finishing the front, she took a break and drove into town to the hardware store purchase a wrought iron bench for the porch. She returned home and assembled it before working on the sides and back of the house.

"Oh, I need you for your strong back and other talents, not mowing the lawn," she replied quickly, then blushed realizing how that sounded. Seth turned a little red himself. "You know what I mean," she added quickly.

"You have the list for me to look over?" he asked. Alice nodded, affirming that she also worked on it the night before. She had taken time to order some of the supplies she knew they would need and would get them started towards making the house a home. She told him the first delivery would be arriving soon.

"Mike said he'd have one of the boys deliver the first part of the list this morning around nine," she explained, handing him several sheets of paper and a binder. Seth grinned at the binder and started laughing.

"And my dad says I'm OCD," he said with wide eyes looking over the neatly transformed list, turned novel.

"I spent some time waiting for the air to cool down yesterday before mowing the lawn. I broke the repairs down into sections and added a materials list to each repair. I fully plan on documenting this whole adventure so I can share it with my dad, when my parents come to visit," Alice explained to him, with a grin.

"Wow . . . these lists are very thorough. How did you come up with this? The internet?" Seth asked, scratching his head as he looked to Alice.

Alice had seen that look before. He was trying to size her up and figure her out.

Right at nine am a truck pulled up, fully loaded with building materials and supplies. Seth grinned as the driver exited the cab and walked toward the back. Alice followed wondering how much bigger Seth's grin could get and who had caused it.

"Alright, Jake, man, how are you?" Seth called, welcoming the man climbing up on the trailer.

"I should've known I'd find you here when Mr. Newton handed me this work order. What did you get yourself into this time, Seth?" The man said with an amused tone.

Jake was a good sized man **,** wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and work boots. He wasted no time unhooking straps from the wood and other supplies boxed up on the trailer. Showing their easy familiarity they quickly had the supplies unloaded and stacked in separate piles, making it easy to see what had been delivered.

Jake hadn't acknowledged Alice until everything was unloaded and ready to be verified and checked against the packing slip.

"Ms. Brandon, I'm Jacob. Would you like me to go over the inventory with you before I depart?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be very nice,." Alice said, accepting the clipboard he handed to her. She compared the list and the materials. It seemed everything was laid out properly.

"I laid everything out the same as the list, Ma'am," Jake explained. Because Alice had already noticed she gave him a warm grin.

She walked down the line comparing the inventory with the numbers while he and Seth stood by the truck talking. There was some chuckling going on but Alice didn't pay attention. She focused on the task at hand before quickly signing the invoice and handing it to Jake. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ms. Brandon."

"Well, you're going to be seeing quite a bit of me, so you might as well start calling me Alice," she corrected the driver before he could walk away. He nodded, stuck out his and said, "Well, I'm Jacob," before jumping into his truck. The truck roared to life and, with a few twists and turns, it was on its way out of the driveway and back to the hardware store.

The work was hard, but everyday, Alice made another dent in what needed to be done. Whenever Seth was able to make it over to do some work, he noticed something new that she had accomplished while he was busy or at school. The first project Alice completed was staining and sealing the front steps, the balusters and railing.

The roof had been in such rough shape, stripping it really wasn't hard. Seth had it stripped in a few hours making a complete mess of the front yard. That's when Alice decided it was time to order a dumpster from the next town over. Between the two they managed to remove half of the unsalvageable decking on the roof, and to get the tar paper down.

When the shingles were delivered, Alice offered to pay extra to get them roof loaded, but Jacob informed her that was part and parcel of the service when roofing was purchased. When Seth arrived to work a few days later, most of the shingles on the front half of the roof had been put into place.

"Um, Ms. Alice, who else do you have working for you?" he asked, looking up at the roof.

Alice thought she had done a pretty damn good job if you asked her, but the way Seth asked his question, she started to second guess herself.

"Is it that bad?" she asked, trying to look at her handiwork more objectively. The lines where straight and the pattern looked right, she thought, biting her lip. Had she messed it up that badly?

"No, but if you have someone around doing that quality of work, I'm wondering why you are paying me?" he responded sounding a little sad. Alice burst out laughing, fanning herself to regain control as Seth looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"I did that," she told him, pointing to the roof.

"No way . . .you? And here I thought you were one of those girly-girls that would never climb on a roof. I might just have to convince you to marry me." Seth laughed scratching his head still looking at the roof. Alice's face matched his red shirt he was wearing.

Alice and Seth went on like that for days. Alice started to believe that Seth thought she was lying to him about her ability to do things, even if his manner was in the form of teasing. One afternoon when she had finally had enough of his teasing, she waited for him while sitting on the roof cap. When Seth's truck came into view, she nailed the next shingle into place. She continued cutting the shingles to the appropriate size, laying them in place, and nailing them down before moving on. Seth stood on the ground watching until she nailed the last cap piece into place. She smirked down at him before climbing off the room, causing him to laugh. Alice had made her point.

As the month went on, he continued to be always surprised to see what she had accomplished without him, mostly because she seemed so little and feminine. The roof had been completed and the outside of the house had been pressure washed, sealed and stained, making it look almost new.

"Who taught you about construction?" Seth asked one day as they took a break for lunch.

* * *

※ LLOML ※

Welcome everyone. I am sorry that I went MIA on you. Last summer I was afforded the opportunity to go to college and would have been an idiot to not jump on the offer. Going back to school, as many of you know, is not easy, nor is there time left for anything but studying. This summer, with the help of Storypainter, Jennifer W. and Bornonholloween, we've managed to get me back on track writing fiction (No more essays for the summer). Hope everyone enjoys the first chapter of Lost Loves of Meadow Lane.

I hope you are ready for another journey down a winding road with me!

Read, review, and reshare


	2. Chapter 2

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 _ **Isabella, March 4, 1910**_

 _Entering the_ _j_ _udge_ _'_ _s chamber, Isabella wore a simple white dress. It fit for the most part, but it felt off. James Witherdale stood next to the judge, who held the bible in his hand, and smiled at_ _Isabella_ _. Standing to the left was a woman with fiery red hair and a boy about the age of ten. She looked familiar, but Isabella couldn't place her or the boy. James smiled at her_ _,_ _waving his hand to coaxing her forward._

 _Bella stood next to James as the_ _j_ _udge recited his lines. Dearly Beloved... the rest was just murmurs, waves of noise in her ears._

 _Everything felt wrong. It was the wrong dress, the wrong place,_ _and the wrong groom. It should have been Edward, but there was nothing Isabella could do. She was property, sold by her father to the highest bidder, bought by a man she didn't know or love._

 _James smiled indulgently as he wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "Don't worry Isabella, all brides cry at their wedding." Before she knew it, both had said their I dos and were pronounced man and wife. There was no reception afterward or friends with words of congratulations. Only a re_ _d-_ _haired woman and her son, and neither smiled._

 _"Bella, I would like you to meet my housekeeper, Victoria, and her son, Riley." Isabella smiled and reached out her hand. When it was obvious the woman had no intentions of returning the greeting, she let her hand fall back to her side._

 _"Victoria, please escort Mrs. Witherdale home. I need to speak to the judge before I join you. I should return shortly." James said dismissively. Victoria glared at Isabella. "Oh, and please make sure she is dressed appropriately for my arrival."_

" _Of course, James. It will be my pleasure," she said, unconvincingly._

* * *

 **2011 Thunder**

After a few days, Alice made another trip into town. It was mid-afternoon, the sun was bright and the countryside was a brilliant green. She had decided to get something other than junk food to eat, and the local diner seemed to have exactly what she needed at the moment.

Ren's Diner had become one of Alice's favorite places to visit. She enjoyed the banter between herself and the manager/waitress, Amanda. She was an older lady probably around her mother's age and was always trying to get her to eat something other than her normal staple from the menu.

"Just a hamburger, fries, and a Vanilla Pepsi, please," Alice said before Amanda could rattle off the day's special, Baked Mac and Cheese with smokies and broccoli. Amanda huffed, rolled her eyes at Alice before she winked, then nodded and turned away.

Rubbing her face, Alice smiled behind her hands. That woman was never going to give up trying to introduce her palate to something different, Alice thought. Amanda was definitely the mothering type.

"You better hurry up and finish that meal, girl," Amanda said, looking past Alice out the window. The wind was starting to pick up as clouds gathered together darkening the skyline. "The storm is moving in fast and won't take long getting here. You gonna be okay out at your place?" Amanda asked returning her focus back to Alice.

"I think you're right," Alice agreed after looking outside. She shoved the rest of her meal into her mouth and paid the bill quickly.

The wind whirled her hair around her face blinding her as Alice stepped outside. Using the hair-tie from around her wrist, she pulled her hair back and bound it hastily. She couldn't feel any droplets of rain but could see evidence as tiny spots started to darken the sidewalk before she quickly crossed over to her truck.

By the time she made it down the street to the stop sign, fear and worry set in. The combination of the blackness of the clouds above, the thrashing sound of the wipers, and the whining of the wind, the tension in Alice's body became evident. Worry set in when the crack of thunder sounded and lightning flashed. The suddenness of it caused her to jolt. Alice had no idea where the storm had come from, but there was an ominous feel to it.

By the time Alice neared home the storm was in full force. Shadows waved in and out of focus in contrast to the lights of her truck as she drove cautiously. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled around her. Nervously, she turned from the pavement onto the dirt road that lead to her home.

"What the hell was that?" Alice asked herself as she turned to look out the passenger's rear view mirror. Momentarily blinded when the lightning flashed, she quickly looked again but saw nothing.

Alice's nerves felt like they were outside of her skin, ratcheting up her anxiety, as the house came into view. The boom of thunder turned the down pour of rain into a flood of hail the size of marbles. She ran from the truck to her camper parked next to the house. Pain nipped at her skin as she was pelted in the down pour until she slammed the door shut behind her.

Flipping on the light switch, Alice used words unbecoming a lady. The wind rocked the camper forcing her to catch herself as she stumbled the length of the hall that lead to the bedroom.

"Shit," she cursed, jumping when the lightning outside sparked. The light bulb above the bed exploded as she placed a hand on the edge of the bed. She reached for the nightstand, randomly grabbing items and throwing them **,** until she found her flashlight. She had left the windows open during the day, and while she was gone, the rain breached the windows and soaked the bedding. The camper continued to rock as she grabbed dry clothes, a pillow, a blanket, then reentered the hall. There was no way she was sleeping in the camper tonight.

The tempest spun around, nudging her as she forced her way to the porch of the house. Freeing her hands of their load, she reached into her pocket. The wind chilled her damp skin and she thrust the key into the lock and entered the house. Once inside, with the door closed, the storm seemed to fade away. Alice spread the blanket on the couch along with her pillow and then went upstairs to change clothes. After she was dry and had warmed up she wandered between rooms, checking for any evidence of leaks.

Sitting on the couch, assured the roof wouldn't leak, she pulled the blanket around herself staring at the lifeless fireplace, wishing she had a stack of wood to burn for warmth and light.

The creaking of wood from the stairs caused her imagination to run. Even with the wild thoughts, she didn't feel alone as she pictured someone coming down the stairs and entering the room before walking to the front door.

A loud clambering from outside startled her. She jumped, frantically trying to recall what was left on the porch. Another loud crashing sound reached her ears just as she reached for the door.

Before she could ensure the door was locked, the knob twisted and the lighting flashed through the window outlining a silhouetted figure. Deafeningly, thunder rumbled as the door was shoved open, throwing her to the floor. Wind whipped through the living room and it felt as if ice ran through her veins instead of blood. Her scream fell silently as the dark outline filled the doorway and advanced into the room. Alice crawled away from the menacing form.

The figure swayed before it stopped seeming to tower above her petite frame. Rain continued to darken the wood floor next to the door that remained ajar. Her breathing was labored, her heart pounded as she looked up at the faceless shadow.

"This is my house," the darkness screamed, stepping closer. "Get out," the voice roared.

Gripped with fear, Alice looked towards the kitchen, wondering if she could make it to the back door when she heard the familiar creaking of wood from the staircase.

The man standing among the shadows yelled again and stepped closer. Alice launched herself up the stairs toward the master bedroom and away from her assailant. It was the only room with a lock on the door other than the bathroom, which might have been a better choice.

Alice drew her legs up as she pressed herself into the corner of the closet and listened to the storm crash and bang downstairs. She wasn't sure if her body shook from cold or fear, and would not discount either. She scolded herself for leaving her phone in the camper.

She rocked back and forth, trying to calm herself until she fell asleep, waiting for the sun to come up. She felt hot and feverish in the tight space of her closet. _When was the sun going to shine?_

Alice's body jolted awake, realizing there was light coming through the gap between the door and floor. The storm had passed, the day had begun, and so far, she had survived. Light reached past the gap of the door and crawled along the flooring of the closet, giving a soft glow. Reluctantly, she pulled herself up and cautiously moved from the closet, listening intently for signs that the man downstairs was gone.

Quietly, she ventured down the stairs and into the living room. The front door was still ajar, and the wood was stained from last night's rain. Again, fear gripped her as she remembered how she spent her night. Thank god she hadn't moved her clothes into the small space, she thought to herself.

Toeing the last step of the stairs, the sight filled her with horror. Papers littered the floor, receipts from the hardware store and her notes about the remodel. The small coffee table was overturned. The man that had instilled a new kind of fear in her frame was draped on the couch, unmoving. Only waves of short blond hair and a long brown Duster were visible.

Quickly and as quietly as possible, she forced her petite build through the front door and ran full tilt to the camper, grabbing her cell phone and dialing 911.

"Emergency dispatch. This is the operator. What is your emergency?" the voice said on the other end.

"My name is Mary Brandon. A man broke into my house last night," she spoke, visible shaking heard in her voice. Alice retold the story of the previous night. The operator kept her on the phone as she dispatched local police to her address.

Alice kept talking to the woman on the other end of the call until she saw flashing blue lights heading in her direction. She ran past the fence, along the driveway and flailed her arms getting the attention of police. After the cruiser stopped, blocking her driveway, two officers calmly exited the car and questioned her. Their presence reassured her as they entered her house. She had almost bitten her nails to the quick and made her lips raw from chewing by the time the officers exited her home.

The officers had taken the man into custody. His wrists were in handcuffs behind his back. There was no dramatic scene of capture, no yelling or screaming as he submitted to being placed in the back seat of the police car.

Alice eyed the man, even as she spoke to the officers who explained that the man had been drunk and was extremely sorry **.** They were taking him to the station house and booking him. They wanted to know if she wanted to press charges for breaking and entry.

She stared at him, drawn. There was something familiar, yet nothing she could put a finger on. He looked so lost and vulnerable, a complete contrast to the night before. It wasn't until his blood shot eyes met hers that she decided **.** No, she wouldn't press charges. He reminded her of a wounded animal that needed help.

The older officer noticed their strange interaction. Voicing his concern, he asked if the two knew each other. Alice wasn't sure if the officer believed her or not. She didn't know if she believed it herself **,** because there was something about him that caused her to doubt herself. It didn't make sense. After two years of failed memories and always feeling like you should know something, it wouldn't have surprised her if she did.

The man's eyes never left hers as the car pulled away and disappeared. Why was he looking at her like that? She questioned herself. Like he knew her, or had seen a ghost.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Thank you everyone for supporting this story. For those of you that are interested, I always promise a HEA. That being said, it may take time for that to happen. The reason this story is rated M is because there are parts that contain SENSITIVE Mature Content. The material is no way meant to offend. I do not write graphic scenes but they're implied. When the chapter or chapters that have said material in them are posted, I will start with a warning at the beginning of the chapter.**

 **Read, Review, and Reshare**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 _Edward rode_ _his horse_ _as far as he could_ _before falling asleep on the ground. The emotional upheaval h_ _e_ _was_ _experienc_ _ing_ _exhausted him. How was he going to go on without her? How was he suppose_ _d_ _to manage? How was he going to repay his mother for_ _protecting them from Mr. Witherdale_ _? Why hadn't he thought to drag her with him? Did it matter that he had no money_ _,_ _no job_ _;_ _and no_ _plan? He loved her with everything he had_ _,_ _that was what mattered._ _At the moment, h_ _e had six months before_ _Bella's_ _birthday to find a way for them to be together._

 ** _Edward, June 20, 1910_**

 _It had been two weeks since Edward had fled his hometown. Two weeks away from his mother and two weeks away from Bella. Two weeks that felt like a lifetime. Two weeks since the first time he had fallen asleep on the ground after leaving St. Martin._

 _Biloxi had grown over the past few years. The streets were a mix of cement, cobblestone, and dirt. Sidewalks were filled with people_ _._ _He saw a few horse_ _-_ _driven buggies but most people traveled by trollies_ , _roll_ _ing_ _up and down the main streets. It seemed like cars were everywhere. Life in Biloxi was a far cry from the simple life he had led in St. Martin_ _,_ _even though it was a few miles away. The_ _town_ _was faster and less friendly_ _than home_ _. He knew he had friends who had moved here_ , _but the way the city had grown_ _,_ _he did not know how to find them. So he moved on._

 _Gulfport was a mixture of cultures. Near the ocean was the navy base_ _,_ _and the town was filled will men in uniform. Further away from the coast_ _was_ _were the men worked hard_ _,_ _long hours_ _in_ _oil fields or_ _in_ _logging_ _camps_ _. He could find a job there and send for Bella when he saved enough money. What_ _money_ _his mother had forced upon him would only last so long._

 _Joining the military was one way to escape_ _,_ _but he couldn't take Bella with him. So, it was either working with the loggers or the oil fields. He also needed to find a room to rent and let his mother know where he was. He knew she would worry until he did. He was all the family she had left._

 _It took Edward a few days to secure himself a place to stay. At least he didn't have to sleep_ _o_ _n a pew at the Catholic Church._

 _He found work_ _with a logging crew and earned three dollars a day. The work was dangerous_ _,_ _but he paid attention and learned quickly. He watched, asked questions, and_ _listened_ _to the answers. Within a short_ _time_ , _he moved up the ladder when two co-workers had been killed by falling trees all because someone had not paid attention._

 _While working with the logging crew,_ _Edward didn't have time to think about Bella._ _But a_ _t night he had nightmares that she was in trouble or worse_ _._ _._ _. that she was_ _somehow_ _in pain. On th_ _e_ _odd_ _occasion_ _that he dreamed of the last night they were together_ _,_ _that was even more painful. Edward learned to work harder_ _,_ _with less sleep_ _,_ _so that when he did sleep he didn't dream. He kept memories_ _of_ _her_ _in the back of his mind_ _,_ _while he worked and tried to figure out what his next move_ _would be_ _._

 _Weeks slowly_ _turned into a month, then three months, and then six, before Edward_ _finally_ _returned to St. Martin_ _, and by then he had a plan. First thing he was going to do_ _was let his mother know he was well_ _and that he was working. He couldn_ _'_ _t wait to shar_ _e_ _that he had decided to buy property near his new home in Gulfport and_ _build a home_ _. Secondly, there was a man named James Witherdale he_ _needed_ _to talk to before he could propose to Bella._

 **2011**

 **Today will be Different**

"Mr. Whitlock, you served eighteen months of a two year sentence in Biloxi for a hit and run. You're out of jail a mere three months, return to Gulfport, and you break into someone's house. Are you trying to go back to jail, son?" the judge asked. His penetrating, sorrel eyes locked seriously with Jasper's blue.

"No, of course not, your Honor. I just wanted to go home. Yes, I was drunk but I thought someone was squatting in my house. I didn't know that my house had been sold for back taxes as the officers explained to me when I had calmed down," Jasper tried to explain. Did that really explain his actions that had terrified the young woman with dark hair? Bits and pieces of a childhood memory flickered across his imagination . He knew who she looked like but refused to admit, even to himself, how pronounced their likeness was. It had to be a coincidence.

"You mean sobered up," the judge stated, still sounding unconvinced.

"Yes, sir."

"If I see you in front of me again within the next six months, I'm throwing the book at you. Do you understand? Next time, I may not take into consideration whether someone presses charges. . . or not."

"Thank you, your Honor."

Jasper was still knocking mud off his boots from the night before as he left the court house. His head throbbed from the alcohol he'd consumed. Ashamed of himself, he hailed down a taxi to take him to his car. He only hoped he remembered where it was. Memories played on instant rewind as the driver drove towards the bar and closer to his former home.

Lost deep in thought, he wondered how had he let things get so far out of hand. How had he let Rose, his best friend's widow, get him in this deep? Was he going to be able to forgive her, now that he lost his childhood home?

Wanting his work day to be over, the taxi driver was irritated when they arrived at the bar only to find an empty parking lot. Jasper paid the current fare and flashed another fifty to prove he could pay for his fare. Jasper directed him down side streets as he looked for anything that looked familiar until they found his car. Not wanting to hold the driver up further, Jasper paid his fee, and then excused the driver even though he would be stranded. It was evident after a quick inspection it was going to take a tow truck to pull his car from the ditch

"Ugh... I really am trying here! Can you give me a break, please?" Jasper yelled into the heavens. It seemed as if his world completely spiraled out of control when he'd finally had enough and left the military. The only thing he wanted to do was get back on solid ground, but now, someone else owned his childhood home.

Chills ran up and down his spine, causing him to physically shudder as he recalled the woman talking to police. The hair was different and maybe she wasn't quite the same height, but the heart-shaped face and eyes were the same. Looking at her was like looking at a ghost. She now owned the property that had been bequeathed to him from a woman that he only saw a hand full of times before he joined the military. The property was handed down the family tree since 1920 when his great grandmother managed to keep it through the depression.

Jasper wondered if she kept his personal belongings or threw them out. What would he do if she found the displaced rock on the fireplace and discovered his family's secret hiding spot? Or what lay inside? How was he to accept he'd never be able to call it home again?

The thoughts ran rampant as he waited for roadside assistance. When the tow truck finally arrived, it took only minutes to retrieve the car from the bottom of the ditch. Everything seemed to be in order and a fresh wave of thankfulness filled him when the motor turned over after Jasper twisted the key in the ignition.

Thinking of his childhood home, reality came crashing down. His actions the night before were not those of a sane man. How could he face her now? Slowly, he turned the car in the opposite direction, determined to leave the area and return to Biloxi. He could get lost in the crowds of people there, although he didn't need people around to feel lost. He'd been lost for a long time.

Driving through town, looking at the buildings, thinking about the past, Jasper decided it was time to stop running. He couldn't leave. He had to make things right and now was as good a time as any to start. He didn't have much money on him, but he was sure Rose would spot him some until he got back onto his feet. He never considered his other options. He stopped at a small motel and rented a room, taking the monthly discount instead of the weekly rate. All he needed was a plan. He placed two dollars on the counter for the local paper as he collected the key to his room.

"Thank you, Ms. Weber," he spoke to the young girl working the desk as he left. He smiled wistfully, noticing the pink highlighting in her cheeks as she pushed her glasses back up her nose. To be young again.

Alone in his motel room, he searched the local paper for possible employment. The help wanted section of the newspaper wasn't very long. He walked to the convenience store just down the street. He was parched and he knew he could get a beer there, but standing in the aisle with the door open, he decided that he wouldn't drink tonight. Maybe tomorrow but not tonight. He left after purchasing a six pack of Dr. Pepper.

Sweat poured from his skin. He clutched his hands to keep the tremors away. He told himself he wasn't an alcoholic and maybe he wasn't, but relied on it heavily the past few months to keep the dreams away. It wasn't so much a nightmare, just the constant replay of car brakes, crunching metal and breaking glass. He hadn't known the truth about the car accident for so long it didn't matter anymore when the truth came out. He vowed to keep his silence and accepted the verdict because he felt responsible and he couldn't tear another family apart. The possibilities of what could have been were too tangible to forget. Finding a comfortable position was impossible. He tossed and turned until the early hours as the sun began to rise.

Giving up, he decided it was time to get something to eat. Just down the street was a restaurant he was sure opened early. Once he walked through the door, he found an empty booth and opened the newspaper that had been left behind.

"Today will be different," he told himself over and over as he read. "Today will be different."

"Welcome to Ren's," a young woman greeted her customer, who was mumbling and lost in the paper. "Don't worry, local news is easy to catch up on. My name's Jessica. Would you like a cup of coffee before you order?," she continued, as she offered the newcomer a menu.

"I guess we should start with a hot cup of coffee and go from there," he replied and started thinking again about what he was going to do with his life.

"I'll be right back."

Jasper knew the day was going to be rough when the waitress managed to sneak up on him a second time. Six years in the military and more time in prison had taught him how to keep his guard up; but lately, it seemed he'd lost that ability. He needed to concentrate and focus instead of getting lost in his own thoughts.

"Sir, you're in a small town in Mississippi. You'd have a better chance of that coming true if you printed it on a shirt," the waitress said, placing his coffee in front of him. She stood quietly **,** order pad in hand.

"What?" Jasper asked in confusion. What was the girl going on about now?

"Today will be different . . . Um . . . you'd have better luck printing it on a shirt," she replied, frustrated that he didn't seem to understand her comment.

"Oh. I'll have the bijou breakfast, please," Jasper said, handing the girl the menu.

"We'll have that up in about five minutes."

The morning slipped by quickly as he walked down Main Street looking for work. If he was going to stay, he needed to find a way of supporting himself. ThePiggly Wiggly accepted his application. The manager said he'd let him know if something became available. Newton's Hardware was accepting applications, but they also didn't need anyone at the moment. Varny's GMC was only looking for ASE certified mechanics, but if Jasper was desperate they could always use someone on the weekends to detail cars. Someone suggested that the truck stop near the interstate might be looking for someone to help out during the overnights, but they couldn't remember for sure.

After a full day of job hunting, Jasper knew getting work was going to be harder than he had thought. No one needed a gun specialist, backwoods, hillbilly. They needed educated, trained people. Being ex-military wasn't helping his situation, neither was his time in jail.

He returned to the restaurant for a late lunch and ordered a hot dog. A woman, who could pass as his mother, smiled at him knowingly. "Rough day?" she questioned, pointing at the newspaper in his hands.

"Um... you could say that, ma'am," he answered.

"Well, I don't know what you're looking for, and I don't know if you would be interested, but the diner is looking for a dishwasher. The pay sucks, the hours are long, but it's free meals during your shift," she informed him. "You'd work two meals a day. One day would be breakfast and lunch the next day would be from the end of lunch till closing. Ten-hour days, four days a week."

"I could do that," Jasper replied. "Thank you Mrs... Amanda. My name is Jasper Whitlock."

"Be here tomorrow at ten. We'll get you set up, and Paul will train you. We'll talk more then." She walked behind the counter and shouted to the cook as she placed his ticket on the wheel between them.

Today was different. Today he got his first job since leaving the military over two years ago.

It was too early to go to bed, and if he went to sleep, then he'd be awake much too early, and he had a feeling the next day would be a very long day. The diner didn't close until 10 pm. Maybe because he felt optimistic, he settled himself into his car and drove back to the house. Maybe the dark-haired woman would accept his apology. When he arrived, he saw a truck parked in the driveway and a camper next to that.

Walking up the steps, Jasper noticed all the work that had been done. Thing's he'd never had the time to start, let alone finish. New baluster, new decking, new roof, even a new door and windows. There were lights on inside, and he could hear the generator out back. He knocked several times, but no one came to the door. He twisted the handle easily and opened the door.

The familiar sense, he had known most of his life, touched and calmed him as the door began to open. It wasn't as if the air around him moved but was filled with an energy that caused the hair on his arms to rise. Growing up, he'd never felt alone, but safe and watched over.

"Hello... is anyone home? Hello?" He listened intently for any sign that someone was upstairs. Again, he yelled announcing his presence, but was greeted with silence, the only sound was the generator. Stepping across the threshold, he looked around. Someone had to be here. He wondered if maybe this was his chance.

What would happen if he was found inside the house and she called the cops again? After several moments, he risked the chances of being noticed and further entered the house.

He looked around at all the projects that were going on inside as he moved. Sheet rock lied in crumbles on the floor. Wiring was exposed along with water pipes and heating pipes. He understood that these types of projects needed to be finished sooner than later. Once autumn and winter started, it would be too late to keep the place warm and comfortable.

Walking over to the fireplace, he touched the stones looking for one in particular; the one that was just bigger than his hand. He could see the cracks in the grout around the stone. Gripping it, he wiggled it free **,** slowly revealing a hidden nook behind it. Safely tucked away inside was the treasure he was seeking. Those letters belonged to his family. He gathered them together and returned the stone to its nesting spot. He needed to hurry before someone came in and found him. He didn't know how he would explain his presence this time.

As he was heading for the front door, a few drops of blood on floor caught his attention. Forgetting he hadn't been invited in, he followed the trail back through the living room toward the back door. His muscles tightened when the lights flickered and faded. The generator out back made a whirling sound and then faded as well. It wasn't dark yet which was good, but it wouldn't take long before he couldn't see his hands.

Seeing a few drops of blood here and there, it looked like someone had cut themselves (nothing fatal), but after searching the house and finding that there was no one home, he figured, when someone did return, they wouldn't want to return to a darkened house. Finally, something he could do, something that was familiar once, he located the generator.

Looking into the shed, he found a full gas can and exchanged the five-gallon metal tanks on the two old surplus generators, mounted to a trailer covered with a heavy green canvas tent. Once the generators were running again, he could see the light through the back window. He walked around the house, locked the shed, and left as if he had never been there. He had every intention on returning . . . soon.

* * *

 **Well, well, well. What do ya'll think? Hmmm.**

 **Sorry about the late update! Real life gave me a beating this week. Now, that the chapter is up, I hope all is forgiven. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's take on the update.**

 **Read, review, and recommend.**

 **See you guys and girls next week.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

 **Blood**

 _ **March 5, 1910**_

" _Do you want to discuss what your night will be like, Isabella?" Victoria asked, as she fingered the light fabric of Bella's nightgown. If only James would have married her instead_ _, she thought_ _. There was no possible way someone as young and pure as this child could satisfy the needs of a man such as James Witherdale._ _The girl would never_ _appreciate James the way she_ _did. Victoria could hear the anger breed and grow in her thoughts_ _. It wouldn't be long before he was back in her bed, and she would be proven right. Mr. Witherdale needed a woman to fill his desires._

 _"Have you even been kissed? No, probably not. I'm sure that excites some men but Mr. Witherdale is not just some man. He's a man with very primal needs. Do you understand, Isabella?" Victoria finished_ _,_ _looking over her shoulder at the young woman. "Here, let me help you." Victoria placed the nightgown on the bed before walking behind Isabella and unbuttoning the wedding gown she wore._

 _Isabella was scared. What if her husband realized that she was no longer innocent? What if he discovered her betrayal? How was she to survive betraying Edward? Why hadn't she chased after him? How was she going to be with her husband when she loved someone else completely? And how could this woman speak as if she knew James in the biblical way? What did she mean by primal?_

 _Bella continued to stare at the floor as Victoria droned on. Once Bella was dressed in her nightgown_ _,_ _she sat on the edge of the bed where they would consummate the marriage. She was trying to control her emotions when her head was jerked to the side by the roots and Victoria whispered in her ear._

 _"Just because you are his wife, do not think for one minute you mean anything to him. He will always come back to me. All you are is property to be used as her owner sees fit."_

 _When Isabella looked into her eyes, she could almost feel the hatred the woman had for her. She had no clue as to what she had done to make the woman despise her so. "That's very good. Make sure you look your husband in the eye when he comes to claim you." Victoria picked up the wedding gown from the floor and laughed as she left._

 _Panic flooded through Isabella as she ran to the door. She needed to get away, to find Edward, but the door was locked and there was no other way to escape._

* * *

 **2011**

It took a few days of hard work, but Alice accomplished more than Seth thought she could.

After the break in, Seth helped replace the damaged front door and two broken windows, along with the rest when Alice noticed how they added to the appeal of the old house. He still didn't understand why she was determined to bring the old house back to life. The locals believed the house was haunted, but he didn't mention it because he didn't believe in ghost stories.

Seth built a shed out back that was now filled with the furniture and miscellaneous items left behind by the old owner. His back ached from all the lifting and moving as he secured the padlock. He felt the click when it settled, but he pulled it once to ensure it was locked.

Seth hated what he had to do next, but he couldn't drag it out any longer. He liked school and he liked learning, but his last progress report from school didn't reflect that. His dad felt he was spending too much time working and not enough time studying, so until his grades came up he was doomed to boring nights, reading books that made little sense. He needed to refocus his attention on school, and that meant his nights helping Alice work on the house had to end. Seth dreaded telling Alice he wasn't going to be able to help for a while.

As Seth turned and headed for the back door, he heard his name called. The voice sounded strange even though he recognized it as Alice's. As he scanned the back yard looking for her, he saw her stumble around the building, her face white.

"Seth, I think I did something wrong," she spoke weakly. Her eyes were turned down, looking at her hand.

"Miss Alice," Seth yelled, moving quickly. He caught her as her knees gave out and almost panicked when he noticed the blood running along Alice's arm and the deep gouge in her hand.

He forgot about the ache in his back as he picked her up and rushed her inside. He grabbed the first thing he saw and wrapped her hand before catching sight of her cell phone and dialing 911.

Help couldn't get there soon enough, he thought, when Alice started shaking. It was obvious she couldn't handle the sight of blood, but the way she was rambling nonsense unnerved Seth more.

"I didn't mean to...it just slipped...I don't feel so well," she said before throwing up. Seth was in a near-panic himself when help arrived. He yelled from the front door and showed them inside to where Alice was sitting.

The paramedics didn't have to worry about Seth being in the way because he quickly stepped aside, relieved that someone else was there.

"I don't know what she did. She came outside saying she was sorry," Seth answered one of the men asking questions as the other assessed the situation.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?" one paramedic asked, as he removed the rags from around her hand.

Alice shook her head biting down on her lip. She didn't tell them she was upstairs working on the floors, scraping up some old paint. She didn't notice a nail uprooted slightly when the scraper slipped and the nail caught her hand, cutting deep into the flesh. She'd felt warm when it happened, and then confused. Because of the panic she was fighting in her thoughts she had an overwhelming need to stay quiet.

"It's not too bad, but it will require stitches," the paramedic announced. He bandaged the hand with clean gauze and tossed the supplies into his bag. Alice agreed to walk to the ambulance when the medic was done. It would be quicker than getting the gurney.

Seth followed, closing the door behind him.

"Do you want to ride along?" the paramedic asked Seth, as they approached the ambulance.

"I'll follow behind in my truck. That way, if Alice needs a ride home, she has one," Seth replied. There was no way he was getting into an ambulance if he didn't have to. How was he going to tell her that he wouldn't be helping for a while now that this has happened? What was his Dad going to say? Those kinds of questions bombarded him as he drove towards the hospital. The ambulance was long gone but Seth knew better than to speed. Besides that, he needed time to think.

Sitting in the waiting room, Seth called his Dad to explain why he wasn't home yet. He was relieved when his Dad didn't yell, but seemed concerned about Alice. His dad suggested calling Jacob. Maybe he could help her until Seth's grades were up.

An hour later, after getting stitches and a tetanus shot, Alice walked into the waiting room. She was surprised Seth had waited for her but was grateful she didn't have to find a ride home. Alice was embarrassed she'd gotten hurt in the first place, and even more embarrassed at her reaction to the sight of her own blood. Blood had never bothered her before.

She turned red when she saw Seth's grin, and she ducked her head. She knew Seth was going to say something about her stupidity.

"Um, feeling better?" Seth asked, as his cheesy grin stretched wider. The expression written on her face caused him to forget how he wanted to tease her.

"Oh Lord, Seth, just take me home, please," she begged, flushing deeper with embarrassment. She still wasn't sure how she had gotten hurt because she'd been careful. It wasn't that she'd gotten hurt that upset her; it was her reaction, the overwhelming feeling of horror, to blood that bothered her.

Seth used the time driving to explain about his grades and what his dad said he had to do. Alice understood school was important. She offered to help, and all he had to do was joked she had been a teacher of sorts in her previous life. Seth laughed never realizing Alice wasn't joking.

After dropping Alice off at home and thanking her for her offer, Seth headed home, contemplating Alice's offer of help. He liked her and couldn't think of anyone who met her that didn't think kindly of her. Then he realized he really didn't know anything about her. He didn't know where she had moved here from, what kind of work she did for a living, or if she had any friends. She never commented on her life, but she enjoyed the stories about his life and encouraged him to share more. Who was Alice Brandon? And, why was she such a mystery?

Alice locked the camper door when Seth left. Now that she felt in-control of herself, again, she wanted to make sense of what happened. The thoughts in her head, the feeling of warmth, and her reaction to blood didn't make sense. It could have been a memory or something, but she had her doubts. It felt like she was living someone else's life. She also remembered finding a loose board in the bedroom before the panic and a coldness she hadn't felt before, overtook her. The cut on her hand felt like a punishment rather than an injury. Seeing blood on her hands came with a feeling of _deja vu_ she couldn't explain, but there was something about that loose board that drove her toward the house.

Seeing droplets of blood on the floor near the back door distracted Alice. With a soapy cloth, she mopped up the red stains quickly. It was amazing how blood wasn't everywhere considering how much her hand had bled. She was glad she had only needed a few stitches. She may not have needed the tetanus shot, but she couldn't remember if she'd had one before. Better safe than sorry, she thought, when the doctor slid the needle into the cut.

When she entered the bedroom, she quickly saw the loose board. This bedroom was the largest of the upstairs rooms. This was the room she planned on finishing first. The board was almost a half inch higher than the ones around it. Alice located a hammer but instead of pounding the nail back in place, she used the claw portion of the hammer to finish prying up the board.

With a hard heave, the board came loose from the floor, causing dust particles to float through the air. Dust triggered a coughing fit from Alice, but that didn't deter her from reaching into the newly created space to feel around. Reaching deeper into the hole, her fingers searched until she felt something of substance. Tentatively, she moved her fingers brushing the object again. It was something small. Carefully she pulled the object closer to the opening.

Pulling a burlap sack into view, her eyes widened. Cold chills ran up and down her spin. What secrets did the old house hold?

"Dammit," she spoke aloud, feeling the stitches tug in the palm of her hand. She held the sack with her good hand and retreated from the room, turning off lights as she made her way back down the stairs.

Once Alice was in the camper, she washed up using the sink. "I'll be so glad when the house finally has running water and I have a bathroom to clean up in," she said aloud, running a damp washcloth across her face and arms.

Even without the unexpected trip to the hospital, Alice's day had been long. Six stitches lined the palm of her hand. She was almost in bed when she recognized the hum coming from outside.

"Shit!" she said in frustration, then grabbed the flashlight and headed back outside.

She was surprised the generator was still running after she'd been gone for so long. Flipping the lever to the off position, she listened as the generator stuttered and stammered before going silent. With a chill, Alice noticed how eerily quiet the night was. Her hand ached and pulsed as she made her way back to the camper.

* * *

 **A/N Thank you everyone who has put this story on alert, favorite, and following. Your response has been humbling. Every click is a testament to the community that helped make this story happen. The reviews are not mine alone, but everyone who helped (and put up with me) during the writing process with encouragement, suggestions, and you got this girl...**

 **As is typical this time of year, life gets in the way. Kids go back to school, and a new semester of college starts. I am hoping that I will be able to maintain a regular posting schedule. Bear with us as we all adjust to our new schedules and I promise to keep posting as often as possible. Also, any and all errors that remain are a reflection on me as I tend not to always listen to my beta's.**

 **Enjoy the read, review, and recommend the story to your friends. The more the merrier.**

 **I also try to do post a pic tease on facebook.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 5**

 _ **Isabella March 5, 1910**_

 _Trapped_ _behind a locked door_ _,_ _dressed in only a night gown, Isabella sat_ _crying and scared_ _before James knocked on the door_ _._ _She heard the click of the lock and a cre_ _a_ _k as the door opened._ _She tried to hide she had been crying as he entered the room. After closing the door,_ _James loosened his tie as he crossed the room to the bed._ _Isabella saw a tenderness and sadness in his eyes._ _Sitting next to her_ _,_ _he brushed the_ _dampness_ _from her face._

 _"Why are you crying, Isabella?"_ _h_ _e asked_ _,_ _sounding_ _as_ _sincere as he always had. Maybe he wasn't the bad person Victoria had described. Her eyes were filled with fear and worry. She wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth_ _about her feelings for Edward_ _, so she compromised and told him a partial truth._

" _I'm nervous," she said._

" _Nervous of what?" he asked_.

 _"This. I am not ready for this_ ," _she said as she looked at him, the bed, and back to him. "I'm not in love with you," she finished_.

 _He looked in her eyes as he contemplated how to address her concerns. She was so_ _beautiful and_ _young compared to him. She could have_ _had_ _her pick of men_ _if the choice had been_ _left to her_.

 _"I know this may sound cold to you,_ _for_ _I can see you are a romantic at heart, but this marriage is not about love. Our_ _marriage_ _is not about love_ _,_ _but an heir. I have never been in love_ _,_ _Isabella_ _,_ _and at this point in my life_ _,_ _I doubt I ever will be, but I do need an heir. Granted, every man has needs, physical needs, but also a legacy. Someone he can leave everything he has_ _earned_ _in life to. I need a legitimate heir. Not an illegitimate son, but a son born within the confines of a marriage. Someone who will carry on the Witherdale name." He brushed the hair away from her face as he thought more. "Isabella, I know this is probably a stupid question_ _,_ _but have you ever thought you were in love? Back home, in Italy?_ "

 _She knew she couldn't deny having been in love because she was in love with Edward. To conceal her_ _g_ _uilt she only nodded._ _She couldn't risk admitting her betrayal, especially now._

 _"Thank you for your honesty. Even though I would like to believe you are here with me, if it makes tonight easier for you, you can think of him._ _Maybe with time you will discover some level of feelings for me as I have for you since the first time I saw you."_

 **2011 An Open Letter**

Taking extra caution with her injured hand, Alice woke up and prepared herself for the day ahead. What she wanted to do was lie in bed and rifle through the burlap sack and discover what was in it. Instead, she forced herself to move forward with the day. There was much that needed to be done. Last night, she had been too exhausted, and the medication the doctor had given her made her feel detached. The satchel had waited this long; it could wait until she wasn't distracted with the work needing to be finished.

She had to work on the master bedroom, now that the outside of the house and roof had been completed. Moving into the house, sooner than later, was a priority. The burlap sack would have to wait until tonight.

Alice hired an electrician to help update the electrical panel. Against his better judgment, he also agreed to stop by (when he was in the neighborhood) and check on her and Seth's progress as they replaced the existing aluminum wire with copper. Of course, he had given her specific orders to label every wire she replaced, immediately, at both ends. He would double check to insure her work was to code before connecting them to the breaker.

Seth had already deconstructed a majority of the interior walls in the guest bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen and had started on the master bedroom. Together, they had begun replacing wires and outlets before she cut her hand. 

Alice thought about how much the completed projects had already changed the house into something more beautiful. She couldn't wait until they finished the wiring, and the power company finished tying in the power. Once the electrical was done, and the plumbing was fixed, she could move into one room of the house and work on finishing up the inside. Even without those conveniences, she had thought about doing it anyway. There was something unexplainable that drew her to be living inside the old house.

Alice pictured what the house would look like finished as she worked on the flower beds near the front of the porch. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing, but she had no clue what it was. She felt foolish looking around expecting to find an answer when there was no answer to be given. So, taking a break, she walked around the yard, front and back, still mystified. Her eyes were drawn to the woods behind the house, but that wasn't it either.

By mid-morning, she cleaned up the remainder of the sheet rock from the master bedroom before her hand started to ache. The ache wasn't bad, but it was best to take a break. Alice made a mental note of the supplies she would need upon her return, then went outside to rest with a tall glass of ice tea.

While sipping on tea, Alice talked to her father who was the family's do-it-yourself'er, giving him an update on how the house was moving along. She shared how surprised she was that she just knew how to do certain construction tasks. He just laughed, remembering how she followed him around as a child with a pink tool-belt hanging around her hips. What she didn't tell him about was the man who had broken down the front door.

Toward the end of the conversation, her dad assured her that he would continue telling her stories about the girl that stole his heart twenty-five years ago. Sharing stories of her antics as a child that she couldn't remember was just an excuse to continually embarrass her. Her father always told her, he loved her more than life itself. It was just living at home had been too hard because she was constantly reminded of things she couldn't remember. Whether Alice's memory returned or not was still up in the air, but she wasn't counting on it anymore. Alice just needed to figure out who she was, now. Living in a past she couldn't remember hadn't worked.

Once her break was over, she returned to the bedroom with supplies. After the electrical boxes were in place, she started pulling wires. She knew it would be easier if she waited for Seth, but she wasn't sure he was going to be able to visit much until his grades improved. What would have taken her and Seth mere minutes took her hours. When she was done, it was time for another break, but this break would be spent in town, at the hardware store, and going to dinner.

"Hi, Mike," Alice said, walking past the counter.

"More supplies or a new project?" Mike asked, as he watched her walk past the counter. Her face was pretty but Alice's presents made him uncomfortable. It was easier to stare at her when no one was watching, and from behind, Alice was stunning. Though he doubted his wife Jessica would agree.

"I know I shouldn't add more stuff to my list but I want a porch swing for the back deck. One I can set on the ground until the porch is ready and then hang it," Alice replied distractedly. She was reading the signs hanging from the ceilings, looking for outdoor furniture.

"Aisle three, Miss Brandon," Mike directed, as Alice moved on.

Alice found the perfect seat hanging from a frame. Later she could hang it from the porch without the stand. She returned to the counter.

"Cash or charge?" Mike asked. Alice handed over her credit card without reply.

"Do you want it delivered? I could. . . " Mike said. He wouldn't complain about making extra money or seeing where Alice lived. He was sure his wife would have something to say about being late, but it would be worth it.

"No, but if you could get someone to load it in the back of my truck for me, I'd appreciate that," Alice commented. There was no way she was inviting Mike to her house, though he would probably show up sometime.

"Sure. No problem." Mike reached for the mic to call Jacob to the front. "See you soon, Miss Brandon," Mike said suggestively, with a wag of his brows

"Alice," she corrected, even though she knew he wouldn't listen. The way Mike called her Miss, freaked her out.

Jacob met her at the door and wheeled the large box to her truck and loaded it. He nodded and returned to the store. Alice figured Jacob just wasn't much of a talker. She headed over to Ren's Dinner for some food. It had been a long day, and she was starved.

"Hi, Jess. The usual, please," Alice said. The menu stayed on the table unopened. Alice had eaten here too many times over the past few months, and all she wanted was her usual - a hamburger, a kosher pickle of course, and a Vanilla Pepsi.

"What happened to your hand?" Jess asked, as she returned with Alice's dinner. Her eyes were filled with concern.

"Oh, it's so stupid. I caught it on a nail at the house. Poor Seth had to call 911," Alice replied, looking at the gauze wrapped around her hand.

"I guess... but it's a good thing he was there to take care of you. I would have passed out cold at the first sight of blood, forget about the pain."

Alice nodded and grinned but it felt more like a grimace. Sometimes Jess talked too much. Maybe that was why her husband was always looking at other women. Although she heard their raised voices, she pretended not to pay attention to the blond haired man talking to Jess behind the counter a she headed for the door.

Alice jammed trough the gears of the riding lawn mower as she tackled the grass and weeds in the back yard. The porch swing was erected and waiting for her to finish. She couldn't wait to get lost in the view of the yard and the tree line while drinking a cup of coffee later. She drove past the boundaries between the grass and weeds getting as close to the trees as possible. The size of the backyard had almost doubled when she parked the lawn mower. Pleased with the results, she walked around the open space, taking in the view from all angles. Looking up at the afternoon sky, arms stretched wide, she spun in circles. It felt like she was having a private dance with the light breeze as her partner.

Sitting on the porch swing, Alice took a bite of her apple and watched as the sun lowered in the sky, causing the shadows from the trees to reach closer to the house. She knew that the man who had originally built the house, almost a hundred years ago, must have built it at this exact angle so that he and his family could watch the same, beautiful scenario unfold.

As her reward for all of her hard word during the day, she picked up the burlap sack and gently opened it. Inside lay a stack of envelopes bound together with a black ribbon. The ribbon tied around the letters was aged with time, thin and frail. When she loosened the bow, it separated into pieces and a key that was held in place, slipped to the ground. Laying the letters next to her, she retrieved the key. If the key was tied around the envelopes, surely that meant it was important. Not wanting to risk the key getting lost, Alice removed the chain she wore from around her neck and used it to secure the key. Tucked away under her blouse she was positive the decorative key would not get lost.

Setting the stack of letters next to her, she opened the first one. She had been waiting all dayto read them and decided to read the first one tonight before the sun fell below the trees.

 _September 2, 1910_

 _My Dearest Isabella,_

 _I miss teaching you how to play the piano. I miss listening to you learn English from my mother. I miss watching you cook the meals from your homeland. I miss not understanding your words when you tell me secrets in Italian. But most of all I miss you. I want you to know that you are never far from my thoughts, or my heart._

 _I have found work outside of Gulfport. The days are long and the work is back breaking, but whatever I must do_ _ **,**_ _I will do knowing that it is not for me alone._

 _I have good news to share. I was promoted yesterday. The work is harder and only mildly more dangerous, but if I am correct, I will be able to purchase land much sooner than originally planned. I have even located a plot of land that I would love to show you. I have placed a bid on the land and the bank will let me know soon. It will take time to clear the land, but the woods are full of hard wood, oak and maple, that will make fine lumber for a house and barn. The ground is flat and once prepared I can see a large garden with horses and livestock. I can see you sitting in a swing on the deck, children playing in the yard waiting for me to come home. I can even see an elderly couple holding hands far in the future._

 _This life may not be what you saw for our future, but I will do all that I can to make sure you are cared for, and happy. Any life with you in it is better than not._

 _My Boss, Garrett, has given me three days off to travel home to see you, and my mother. The men returned from town Sunday night with word that Gulfport is seeking a new teacher. I think my mother would like to teach again._

 _Even though I will see you in just a few days, I find writing to you of great comfort._

 _Yours Until Then,_

 _Edward_

When she had finished the letter, her eyes were filled with tears. She tried to concentrate on the sunset, but the written words played in her mind. The sun lowered further behind the trees, rays beaming through the leaves. Thinking it was an illusion, Alice blinked back the tears. Confused, she looked at the trees closer, then got up and walked across the yard to where the trees seemed to thin. She had looked in this general direction many times as of late, seeing nothing. But tonight, with the evening sunlight filtering through, she thought she noticed something different. From just the right angle, she did see something. An overgrown path? To where? She followed the hidden path just a few hundred yards to what lay behind.

Opening up from the path was a small clearing surrounded by more trees, filled with weeds and wildflowers. There stood a wrought iron fence much like the one that had been in the front yard, except there were no stone pillars. Wading through the weeds, she opened the gate and had a sense that she had stepped into another place in time. A large granite stone standing about knee high seemed to coax her closer.

Edward Masen

Beloved husband who gave his life

Born 1892 Deceased 1912

Next to it stood a much smaller stone. No name, no date, and only a few simple words.

Beloved wife who joined her husband.

Making a vow to return, Alice returned to the trail through the trees carefully watching her steps as darkness was falling. The ground was still moist from the previous night's storm. Reaching the tree line between the woods and her yard, Alice stopped in her tracks. Footprints marred the smooth ground in front of her.

Someone had been here, in her yard, recently. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

 _ **Edward September 8, 1910 Visit**_

 _Edward walked slowly through town. His head hung low and his hands dug deep into his pockets. He crossed the street to the general store occupying his time until the train that would carry him back to Gulfport arrived._

 _He struggled with the news, from his mother, that Bella was a married woman now, and he needed to move forward in his own life . He knew himself well enough to realize moving on without her would be next to impossible. She was his everything, had been his everything since she came into his life. He felt a coldness move through him that he had never experienced._

 _It was in this condition that he bumped into her, the last person he wanted to see－ Bella._

 _"Excuse me."_

 _Her voice was the same and other than her small protruding belly, visual proof she was with child, she looked the same on the outside. But there was something missing. There was no music in her voice or light in her eyes. This was not the same Bella he had left six months ago. This Bella was a shadow of the girl he knew. He reminded himself that she wasn't his._

 _"Bella," Edward said. There was no inflection in his voice, no emotion. Before she could reply, another voice rose from behind her._

 _"Watch where you're going, young man. Can you not see that my wife is with child? And how dare you address my wife so casually. Isabella, are you okay? Has this man hurt you? Do you know this man?" James questioned his wife. She could hear his irritation grow with every word spoken, and her heart filled with fear. If her husband even suspected the truth, Edward would be in danger._

 _"No, husband, I'm fine. It was my fault... I stepped in front of him. You know how clumsy I am. I wasn't looking. James, this is Mr. Masen, Elizabeth's son. You remember, don't you? Mr. Masen, this is my husband, James Witherdale."_

 _James watched Edward with narrowed eyes. He didn't recognize the man before him, but the hair and eyes did remind him of Ms. Masen._

 _"Ah, I see. You have grown into a fine looking man, Edward. Your mother should be proud. Now come along, Isabella, we have much to do before dinner."_

 _Before Edward could utter another word, Mr. Witherdale escorted his wife away. Edward could only stare until she turned slightly and caught his eye. His were cold, but hers were filled with fear. Fear was something he'd never seen in Bella before, and he didn't know what to do about it._

 _Unable to comprehend what had just happened, Edward stumbled as another piece of him was torn away. It was as if not only his emotions but his heart just stopped. Time meant nothing without her. The man's words rang through his head, and he was reminded that she wasn't his. She belonged to someone else. He'd waited too long, taken too much time. He'd failed in his quest to keep her, and her with child meant there was no going back._

 **2011 Torn**

It had been a long night. The nightmares filled the darkness and kept Jasper company and left him exhausted when the sun began to lighten the sky outside the motel room. At least there was hope today. He had something to do. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but it was finally a beginning.

Jasper refolded the letters that had served as a distraction while he had been restless during the night. Familiar with the letters, written in Italian by his great grandmother, his mind automatically translated them into English. One of these days, he needed to take the time and place them in chronological order. Maybe then he would read each of them instead of the same two or three over and over.

Her writing was so cryptic. If only he could figure out what happened back then. It was a shame that Edward hadn't written letters as well.

 _March 7, 1910_

 _To thee, my heart, Edward,_

 _Three days have passed since you left, along with our future. Had I have known my fate was being sealed as I watched you disappear from sight, I would have run with you. I should have run with you and not allowed you to leave without me._

 _I thought I was giving us time, not having it taken away. I am still confused how this has happened. This country you call home is strange and it's customs even stranger at times. Do we count the days of the year so differently that I did not realize that I am now eighteen?_

 _I do not believe it is my eighteenth birthday, yet according to the birth certificate given to the court, it is._

 _Time has been stolen from us, and I know not how to get it back. Though my heart aches for you, I now belong to him._

 _There is a place deep in my heart, hidden beyond his reach, that holds you tight and cherishes every moment with you. There, you will always be safe. There, we will always be together, innocent, unafraid and happy._

 _To thee, My heart, forever yours,_

 _Bella_

"Shit," Jasper said. As he settled the letter back into the envelop the paper tore at the edge creating a small cut in his finger.. He needed to do something to preserve the letters soon. Sticking his finger between his lips, he finished putting the letters in the drawer before leaving. He didn't have time to dwell.

He was early even though he walked to work. It wasn't like he had to travel a great distance, just across the street and down the block. Amanda greeted him at the door and immediately handed him a stack of papers to be filled out. Calling back into the kitchen for Paul, she introduced the two men and explained that Jasper would be helping.

Paul was excited. If Jasper worked out, he might get some time off. Working seven days a week since the fiasco with the previous dishwasher left Paul irritable and discontent. Paul hoped this new guy would work out better than Alex had.

"Hey, J-man, as soon as you're done filling out those papers, come on back, and I'll get you acquainted with the equipment and what your job will entail," Paul spoke in a welcoming tone.

"It's Jasper. Not J-man, or Jazz."

"Oh, sorry, old habits. I grew up with a guy we called J-man, but I haven't seen him in years. I'll see you in the back, Jasper." Paul retied his apron strings and disappeared behind the swinging doors.

Jasper didn't recognize Paul, but he did remember the old nickname, and he still hated it. Actually, he was surprised Paul had recognized him because years in the army had changed his outward appearance. His hair was lighter, and even though he still had slender build, his shoulders were broader.

Jasper filled out all the papers quickly and was wearing an apron of his own by ten. He learned quickly and became acquainted with the dishwasher. It didn't take an intellectual to figure out how to stack dishes and run them through a machine to wash and sanitize them. The two men survived the lunch rush with only one broken plate that Paul had dropped, not Jasper.

"Hey, Jasper. You smoke, man?" Paul asked, unrolling butts from the sleeve of his shirt.

"Sometimes," Jasper replied, following Paul out the back door and into the alley. Why did restaurants always have alleys? He thought randomly as he stepped out onto the asphalt.

Paul leaned against the building, using his left foot as a brace and lit a smoke. "You learn fast. I think you'll work out just fine," Paul commented before taking a long draw on his smoke.

"It's not like it's rocket science or anything," Jasper replied. He took the offered cigarette and lit up. It had been a few days since he'd smoked one.

"Nope, but there are still idiots who can't do the work, and personally, I need some down time. The only way I'm going to get that is to have someone trained to do the job right. I'm not letting Amanda hand me my ass on a silver platter again."

"She seemed nice to me," Jasper said, not fully understanding Paul's issues.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, man, she's a great boss, the best. Just don't piss her off. She's Gulfport's very own local drill sergeant," Paul added.

"Nothin I ain't used to..." Jasper said, blowing smoke from his nose and mouth.

"Oh, man, how do you do that? That's so gross," Paul said laughing. "Time to get back to work.

" Both men put out their smokes and headed inside. Now that lunch was over, they needed to get ready for dinner. That meant more dirty pots and pans.

Around three in the afternoon, Jasper decided he didn't like the waitress, Jessica. He didn't think much of her before when he sat at the booth to eat, but listening to her try and push Paul's buttons was irritating.

Jasper finished washing everything in sight when Paul suggested he bus the tables. Everything needed to be ready for the dinner rush. No sooner had Jasper stepped between the swinging doors, Jessica was yelling at Paul again. He didn't hear a word the two shared because he was too busy watching a darker haired woman walk out the door. He knew that woman. He'd been seeing her a lot in his dreams the last few nights. He didn't understand why she plagued his dreams that turned into nightmares. He watched her reach her pick-up and climb inside. Jasper was used to judging people from their body language; he didn't need to talk to her to know she wasn't shy or helpless, but determined. Sure, he didn't know her story, but she didn't know his either. He still needed to make amends for scaring her during his drunken rampage.

"You need to get back into the kitchen and stay there. I'll bring the dishes back once I clear the tables. And if I even suspect that you took my tips..." Jessica said, leaving her threat hanging.

"Jess, get the fuck out of the kitchen, and stay on your side of the door, you freak. And leave Jasper to me. He's my responsibility, not yours, you bitch," Paul yelled.

Paul was visibly shaking and angry when Jasper stepped back into the kitchen. He didn't know what had transpired between the two, but it wasn't good. He didn't say a word as he unloaded the bin and stacked the few dishes into the square rack. It wasn't his business anyway.

"Sorry, man. She just gets the best of me sometimes. She tries to act like she's the boss when she's just another waitress. Amanda is the boss. I don't know why she puts up with that girl..." Paul took off his apron and threw it on the counter. "Cover for me while I take a break, okay?"

"Some things never change," Jasper mumbled. He pushed the base half-filled with dishes and lowered the lever. All he had to do was his job, nothing more, nothing less.

Hours later, after the dinner rush had passed, Paul clasped Jasper on the back.

"You did good, man. Thanks. I think you can handle things on your own tomorrow. Be here at the same time, and we'll work the lunch rush together, and then we'll see how you do at dinner. Catch ya later," Paul said, placing his apron in the laundry bin and disappearing out the back door.

Jasper figured Paul had just gone outside on a break, but when he didn't return fifteen minutes later, he knew he was on his own for the rest of the night. The dishes were put away, and Jasper even mopped the floor without being asked.

"Leave the floor til morning, and there's always one or two dishes left at the end of the night. Paul will get them in the morning. It's time to go home," the cook, Mel, said as he pushed him out the front door. It was just after eleven. The sky was dark and the street virtually empty. Jasper crossed the road and walked the block back to the motel.

Lying in bed, he picked up another letter and read.

August 30, 1914

 _My Dearest Edward,_

 _Being without you now is by far the hardest thing I have had to do. At least when I walked this path previously, I knew you were safe, somewhere. Alive._

 _To know that I will only see you in my dreams makes me feel like I am about to break. Thoughts of you plague me constantly. If it was not for Riley, I do not believe I would survive your absence._

 _The decision I am forced to make during our separation are crushing, and I long for what we shared together. But alas, they have come back to haunt me. I have lost the opportunity to share those decisions with you._

 _What I faced without you next to me makes our loss harder to bear. It is not fair that we were robbed of our happily ever after._

 _But as you look down from heaven, I beg you to watch over what love has given us._

 _To thee, my heart forever,_

 _Bella_

Finally making a decision, Jasper choose to make photo copies of the letters when he received his first check, thus protecting the original letters.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I can not believe I forgot to say hi to everyone last chapter. I guess, I was so excited by the response to this story that I just had to post the chapter, and forgot to add an A/N.**

 **Everyone's response has been a blessing. Thank you! I had accepted the fact that everyone was going to tar and feather me, lol. I was shocked how many wanted to know who's footprints were in the dirt last chapter. Bwahhh**

 **For some reason, when I uploaded this chapter, The formating was changed. I hope I was able to fix it all before anyone read it.**

 **Read, Review, and Rec it. I would love to know how ya'll found LLOML.**

* * *

The one thing I have missed doing with this story in the A/N is posting about other stories I'm reading, or have read. So, I'm going to do that again too.

WIP is a new story written by drotuno, called, "A few tables away". If you add the **www. Franfiction** and then paste the rest of this address you will find a wonderful dorky Edward ready to flirt with your inner geek. **/s/11436441/1/A-Few-Tables-Away**. I have a feeling this is going to be a wonderfully awkward blessing.

Summery: Edward spent most of his life trying to be invisible until he got to college. All alone, 3000 miles from home, there's only one person he wishes would see him. His Library Girl, just a few tables away. AH/Rated M/Canon couples

Completed is a story rec'd to me by one of my team members, Sarcastic Bimbo, called, Dirt Roads by winehoes. Winehoes is a colabrative group, (iambeagle and livie79) and if you read the prologue I'm sure you will be clicking until your done reading. I almost fell out of my seat laughing. www. Fanfiction /s/7303130/1/Dirt-Roads. Same rules apply as before. Summary: Trucker hats, possums, and dirt roads. Shenanigans ensue. Is there really less trouble in the country, or are the kids just better at not getting caught? ExB, AH. Story contains mature themes.


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNING! This chapter contains** **SENSATIVE MATURE CONTENT** **.**

* * *

 **Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 7**

 _ **Isabella**_

 _ **March 6, 1910**_

 _After James had undressed himself, he spread his body over his bare wife. She shook with fear and tears spilled from her eyes. She couldn't think of Edward, and she couldn't do this with James. Her hands pressed against his chest pushing him away. His hand covered her mouth before she could say no. The caring man from moments ago was gone. His eyes glared at her, daring her to continue to struggle. She froze as he whispered in her ear._

 _"I am your husband, Isabella. It is my right to consummate our marriage. You are my wife, willing, or not."_

 _Pain raced through her body while he moved against her, into her. She closed her eyes tightly and held her breath. All she wanted to do was scream. Being intimate with James, her husband, was nothing like being with Edward. There were no loving touches, no tender kisses, and no waiting for her to adjust._

 _"You are so..." he murmured. "You feel so good, but if you don't relax..."_

 _The more he spoke, the higher her anxiety rose and the more she struggled against him. The pain was too much. It felt like he pushed her deeper into the mattress, keeping her captive._

 _He gripped her tighter. "See, you already know what pleases me."_

 _She braced herself against his movements and closed her eyes, trying to go back in time, trying to go back to Edward, but the pain James caused kept her locked in the present._

 _"Look at me," James growled, shaking her until she complied. When Isabella's eyes were set on him, he moved at a frantic pace until his body shuddered. He smiled down at her sweetly. "Beautiful." Then he pulled away, leaving her in the bed, and dressed before leaving without another word.._

 _She didn't feel beautiful; she felt cold, used,and sick to her stomach. She heard the click of the door as it locked when James left the room. She retrieved her night gown and pulled it over her head, then she returned to the bed sobbing, until she fell asleep._

 **2011**

Laying in her bed, Alice opened the letter again. Even though it had seemed sad, it was still filled with hope. The words written on the page drew her into a world only her imagination could bring to life. Discovering this man, through his letters, was a distraction from not knowing her own past. Maybe if she could learn who he was, she could figure out who she was. It was the same kind of pull the old house had on her when she saw it. It was as if she had come home.

The love Edward felt for Bella was almost tangible, something Alice could hold in her hands. She tried placing the letters in chronological order, but the cryptic messages made it hard. If she filled in a few blanks, the randomness formed a new time line every time she thought about it.

"I wonder what it would feel like to love someone so completely." Alice said, voicing her thoughts to the ceiling.

She tried to picture what he might have looked like. Did Edward have dark colored hair, or was he blond? Were his eyes brown, blue, or maybe green like her own? Was he tall and slim, or did he have a thicker build? Surely he must have been a gentle soul to love the way it seemed he'd loved Isabella. She pictured what her father would have looked like if he grew up at the turn of the century. It was such a romantic time, before the stock market crash of 1920 or the Great Depression that followed. She pictured him wearing a thick denim shirt with suspenders crossing his back and stretching down his torso. Heavy denim jeans for work that would last as long as the work did. Heavy brown leather boots that would carry him for miles. It was too bad she didn't have a picture of him from back then. But maybe she did. Maybe there was one in the shed out back, stuffed in a drawer of a desk or dresser.

Her eyes closed against her will, the letter falling to the ground as her grip relaxed. Sweet dreams of a man in love, who only had eyes for her, carried her through the night until a chill gripped her, catapulting her dreams into a nightmare.

 _A light outlined the dark under a thick layer of fog. Her bare feet were barely visible against the almost invisible ground of the forest_ _. Leafless_ _branches appeared from nothingness as the fog covered their source. There was no sound of animals or birds as she set her feet in no particular direction and moved. Only silence was heard, a silence that filled her with dread and wonder. The air stirred the fog, causing her eyes to widen as ghostly figures appeared and disappeared._

 _A_ _voice cloaked in darkness called from what seemed a great distance. "Isabella? Where are you? Isabella?" The call came to her from every direction_ , _causing her to turn in a wide circle_ _,_ _searching for the source. Branches picked at her hair, hidden obstacles bit at her feet as she moved_ , _struggling for a sense of direction. Her heart pounded and blood raced through her veins._

 _"Who are you?" Alice called out. This was supposed to be her dream. Surely_ _,_ _she could manipulate the nightmare back into a dream, because Alice didn't believe in ghosts._

 _"There you are, Isabella."_

The unexpected feeling of intimacy she suddenly felt caused Alice's body to jerk awake as her eyes flashed open. She struggled to hold onto the words and feelings as light streamed into her bedroom, fighting against the light and push it away.

Alice shook herself awake the rest of the way. The voice from her dream replayed in fading, whispered tones. She picked up the letter off the floor and returned it to the box, filled with the others, and pushed it under her bed. She brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a tight bun. Dressed in work jeans and an old shirt, she pulled on one of her dad's old flannels and stepped from the camper.

She welcomed the sun that rose from just above the trees as she stretched and took a deep breath. As weird as her night had been, she felt refreshed.

Coming around the camper, Alice froze. The blood drained from her face. Someone was sitting on the steps that lead to the porch, someone she hadn't expected. His boots were a light brown, not really a tan though. His jeans were a worn out blue and his flannel shirt was red with black and white lines. His elbows were nestled atop his knees and his head rested in his hands. His blond waves that touched his collar were in disarray as if he'd just gotten out of bed himself. But what was he doing here?

Alice wanted to step back, and would have, had the stranger's intense blue eyes not captured hers. He still looked as if he'd seen a ghost as he looked at her. She couldn't breathe until he dropped his gaze. So, why did Alice feel slapped in the face when he looked away?

"Miss Brandon. My name's Jasper Whitlock- " Jasper began, before Alice interrupted.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her tone confused him because she didn't sound mad. He had expected anger or fear, but not curiosity.

"I'm sorry I came unannounced, but I wanted to apologize for the other night. I was drunk and not in my right mind," he said in a rush. _What are you doing?_ he thought to himself. It was hard not to look at her but he managed.

"Apology accepted," she said, sounding much closer. He hadn't noticed her move, but suddenly she was right in front of him. "Why did you yell for me to get out of your house?"

Her nearness pulled at his heart in a way he'd never experienced before. His eyes bored into hers. There was an innocence in her eyes behind the mix of green and light brown that transfixed him. He knew she had to have seen things no one else saw, because it felt like the first time in years someone saw him, really saw him. And that scared him even more.

"I'm so sorry about that. Again, I was drunk. I grew up in this house, but I let the taxes fall behind. I... I have to go," he said, quickly moving away from the porch to his car that was parked beyond the fence.

"You can come back anytime," Alice yelled from behind. For a split second she was sure he was going to turn around. She watched his shoulders drop, then in a blink of an eye, he stretched up to his full height and continued forward. She wasn't fooled into believing he hadn't heard her; she knew he had. Even as she watched him pull away, she was still taken back to see him leave.

Reaching the steps, she noticed the simple brown paper sack and was surprised to find coffee and blueberry muffins inside. She carried the bag into the house and set it on the makeshift table. She gave a sigh, then a grin etched itself on her lips. Two cups of coffee and four muffins meant he'd planned to stay before he'd seen her. His intense regard of her lingered with her the rest of the day. _Why did his eyes appear so haunted? Why did his expression look like he'd seen a ghost when he stared at her?_

* * *

Sipping from the first cup of coffee, Alice opened her growing notebook of projects. She slowly flipped through the first few pages that documented the rehabilitation of her home. Seeing a picture of Seth left her feeling alone. She missed his company even if he was a kid. He was sweet, and the renovations had moved much faster with him around. She wondered how he was doing in school, and if he was still struggling.

With a pen in hand, the last page filled with notes quicker than it took to finish her coffee. Today was the day she was going to finish the sheetrock in the master bedroom, and that meant wearing a dust mask. She shuddered at the thought, but it was better than being congested at the end of the day.

After struggling most of the morning, she had ten sheets of sheetrock laying in the middle of the floor. Her drill gun was fully charged and her tool belt had a pocket full of screws. Just as she was donning her mask, she heard her cell phone ring downstairs and bolted for the stairs.

"Hello," she said, breathless.

"Hi, Miss Brandon. This is Seth's father, Michael. I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but were you serious about helping Seth with his school work?"

"I was thinking about Seth just this morning and wondering how he was fairing with his grades. Yes, I was serious. The offer still stands," she replied.

"You used to be a teacher, right?"

"Yes, I was," she answered, leaving out that she didn't remember anything prior to two years ago.

"I can't afford to pay a tutor's wage, but I can help with some of your remodeling projects if you would accept the offer," he stated. Michael sounded like a proud man and Alice smiled.

"Yes, I would accept, but not until his grades improved, otherwise it's moot."

"He has an important history test coming up on Friday. Do you think you can help him study before then?"

"He can come over every night at five. Does that sound fair, Michael?"

"More than fair, Miss Brandon, more than fair. We will see you tonight then. Thank you again."

"Don't thank me, yet. I can't wait. I miss that young man."

"Till then."

"Goodbye," Alice said and closed her phone. Alice did a little girl dance back up the stairs, contemplating what time she needed to finish work before running to town. She was going to have company for dinner and needed snacks for a study session. She turned on her radio, twisting the dial to an ear-busting level, and grabbed a mask. It was time to put up some drywall.

Hours later, after screwing the bottom pieces of sheet rock in place, Alice struggled with the top layer. There was no way she was going to be able to do it by herself. She needed help. She turned down the radio and removed her mask.

 _Well, no better time to break for the day than here_ , she thought. She took in all the work she'd done, snapped a few photos to document her work, and texted them to her Dad. She mentioned that Seth was coming over to study, and she'd have help again soon.

The only way to get the sheetrock dust out of her hair would be to take a shower, but if she took a shower now, she wouldn't have enough water that night for one. She'd rather have her shower then, before bed. She dusted herself off, washed her face and hands, and pulled a brush through her hair before heading to town.

After a not-so-quick trip into town, she returned with more bags than she probably needed. But Seth could eat an entire cow, and she didn't want a growling stomach to distract him. She placed what needed to be kept cold in the small refrigerator in her camper and then started making dinner. Dinner wouldn't be anything fancy, just burgers, cooked on the grill, and chips, but it would do the trick.

She was flipping the burgers when Seth and his father arrived. Seth had a sheepish grin when she greeted them with a hug. Seth's father, Michael, Alice assumed was much older than she expected but she greeted him with a hug as well, to which he chuckled.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Brandon," he said, releasing her from the hug.

"Alice, please, just Alice," she corrected, but she had a feeling nothing she did would change his greeting.

"Did you cook as well, Miss Alice," Seth asked, eyeing the grill.

"I did and you're both invited to join me. In fact, it's mandatory."

"Thank you, Miss Brandon, but I have a job to finish. I will be back at..." Michael asked, prodding for an appropriate time to return.

"I made plenty," she answered, trying to sound authoritative but failing.

"I'm sorry, Miss Brandon, but you just invited a teenage boy to dinner. I assure you there will be no leftovers," he replied then chuckled thinking about Seth's appetite.

"I understand. We should be wrapping up about eight-ish?"

"That sounds fine. I'll be back then. Seth, mind your manners, and do as Miss Brandon tells you," Michael said.

"Dad, I'm not five. I'll try though, I promise," Seth assured his father, walking over to check out the food on the grill.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Thank you all who have reviewed this story, Favorited, or alerted it. Your response has made some pretty dark days a lot brighter.**

 **I hope this chapter wasn't too rough on some of you. For me, it was a hard chapter to write, and no matter how many times I tried to write it or word it differently, it always came back here. I hope Jasper helped make it up to you! *RunsAwayToHideNow* lol.**

 **I know I haven't mentioned the team that helped with this story often. And it isn't that they aren't a truly fantastic team because they are; I'm nervous y'all will try and steal them away lol. There are so many ppl that are responsible, I am always afraid I will forget someone's name. Please forgive me if I do. My Beta's are Storypainter and Yummied. My pre-readers are Sarcastic Bimbo, Kelly, and RubyDee, and MANY MANY others. I just wanted to take a sec and say, THANK YOU!**

 **It has been a rough week, and please bear with me as I return to school next week. I promise, I will update. It might not be on Tuesday though.**

 **The three R's of Fanfiction:**

 **Read, review, and Rec!**

* * *

 **Do you like Mafia stories or some kinky BMSD? Check out these two stories by HeartsOfTwilight.**

 **WIP** : Bound and Dangerous is our WIP sequel Summery:Don Edward Cullen and Donna Isabella Volutri-Cullen as they begin their new adventures in combining two power crime families together, while exploring their Dominant/submissive relationship in Master Edward's playroom. Can they keep their families safe, their relationship safe, or will outside forces tear it apart?

www..fanfiction. s/11436633/1/Bound-and-Dangerous(Copy, paste, then delete the extra periods)

 **Completed Fic** : Bound by the Family. Summery: A Don who is a Dom; two powerful personalities bound together in one body. Will it be too much for one woman to handle, or is she exactly what is needed to balance this man.

www ..Fanfiction. s/11099568/1/Bound-to-the-Family


	8. Chapter 8

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

 _ **Edward September 8, 1910**_

 _It was nightfall when Edward arrived back in Gulfport. He was still reeling from his trip home. He pulled the collar of his jacket tighter around his neck as he walked the miles up the mountain, back to the base camp. As numb as he felt physically and emotionally, his mind would not stop trying to process everything that had transpired. He tried to figure out when Bella had started lying to him and how he had never suspected, because that was the only way anything would make sense._

 _He considered all the times he'd tried to stay away from her and how she'd slowly broken him down and made him fall in love with her. Was her love wishful thinking? Was every word that had left her lips a lie? He couldn't figure it out no matter how he dissected the time they'd spent together. There had been no reason to lie... not to him anyway. But did any of her words matter now that she was married and with child?_

 _Thinking about Bella being with child was what broke through the walls that had protected him all day. Emotions overwhelmed him as he reached the camp. The child she carried should have been his, not another man's. What had her husband thought when he discovered she was no longer pure on her wedding day? The realization of his actions almost caused Edward to faint. He'd placed Bella at risk. Risk, by allowing his needs to override his good moral judgment. Guilt reared its ugly head and its hooves crashed down upon Edward's heart._

 _"Edward, is that you? Edward..." a voice in the darkness called. Edward was too far gone mentally, physically, and emotionally to answer or to ward off the strong hands that lifted him from the ground and pushed him forward. He was helpless against the sudden change between darkness and light as he was pulled into a tent. There was no fight left in him when the man spoke again. "Drink!" The liquid poured down his throat. It burned, causing him to choke. There was the sound of glass touching glass and splashing. "Again," the voice ordered. It wasn't the number of drinks Edward consumed that mattered but the calming affect they had._

* * *

 **2011**

Entering the city limits, Jasper's mind flashed to the bag containing the coffee and muffins he'd abandoned on the steps. He mentally kicked himself for his inability to do anything right, including apologizing without running away, but it was too late to go back. He had a job to do along with an ever-growing list of things to fix. Too bad his life wasn't as easy to fix as the house.

Walking through the back door of the restaurant, he wrapped a kitchen apron around his waist and started to fix what was broken. He tried to put the morning behind him, but the way Alice had questioned him and his reaction plagued his thoughts throughout the day.

"Hey, J-man. I don't think I've ever come into this place and had virtually nothing to do," Paul said, startling Jasper. The intrusion forced him to concentrate on the moment.

"I told you, don't call me that," Jasper spat, trying to shake off his growing foul mood.

"You're right, you did. Sorry, Jas..." Paul froze mid-sentence, taking stock of the man in front of him. He wanted to say something, but the way Jasper glared back at him forced him to hold his tongue. He could almost see the waves of anger flash behind those blue eyes. But that was the only thing that was the same about the man he once knew as a boy. "Some things change until you don't recognize them anymore." There had been a time he'd liked the kid named Jasper, and it wasn't that he didn't like him now. He just didn't yet know Jasper, the man.

Jasper pulled his shoulders back. "I don't know what you're talking about, but isn't it time to get to work?" Grabbing the plastic tub full of dishes left over from breakfast, he strode past Paul. He took deep breathes to calm himself. It was inevitable that someone would recognize him. He'd wished it would have taken longer than it had. Did the people here know what kind of monster he had grown into? Jasper shook that thought away; he wasn't a monster.

As lunch began, so did the pile of dishes. He lost himself in the routine of his job until the rush was over.

"Smoke?" Paul asked once most of the dishes were done.

"Yeah," Jasper replied, nodding his head. He dried his hands using his apron before removing it and hanging it next to the door. He pulled a new pack of cigarettes from his hoodie and followed his supervisor out the back door.

He leaned against the wall and finally spoke after he let the last drag of his cigarette escape. "Sorry for earlier, Paul. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just have a lot on my mind."

"It's cool," Paul stated, but it sounded like he wanted to say more.

Jasper pinched the end of his cigarette and rolled it between his fingers, causing the cherry to fall to the ground along with some loose tobacco. He ran his boot across the pavement where it landed.

"What are you doing?" Paul asked, watching him.

"Field stripping my cigarette. It's an old habit from the military." _And the yard_ , he added silently. He wasn't going to confess where he had been the last year and a half if he didn't have to.

"Oh, that's right. You joined the Navy right after high school," Paul said, remembering what someone had told him years ago.

"The Army," Jasper corrected.

Sensing Jasper didn't really care to talk about the military or growing up in the area, Paul changed the subject.

"So, I tell you what, I have a hot date tonight, so you take the breakfast shift in the morning. I'll come in, we'll work lunch together and then I'll do dinner. How does that sound?"

"Sounds fine." The last thing Jasper wanted to do was talk. The silent arguments he was having in his head were bad enough and kept him on edge.

"Take your break and I'll let you have at it when you get back," Paul said, as he retired his apron strings.

After ordering a club sandwich from the kitchen, Jasper returned outside and walked the few hundred feet to his car parked on the street. His car was an old Cadillac he bought for five hundred dollars. It drank gas like an alcoholic drank liqueur, but it ran and got him where he needed to be.

Jasper wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as he started eating his sandwich. He was pondering how he was going to salvage the wreckage of his life. He thought about how he was going to make things right with Alice. _What was he going to do about her? She was now the proud owner of his childhood home._ He couldn't decide if it was the instant pull he felt toward her or the house that kept him in Gulfport, and both could come back to bite him in the ass. Why hadn't he thought about paying the taxes on the house? Now, he couldn't sell the house to help Rosalie and her daughter, Sierra, rebuild their lives after her husband's death. Even if he had wanted to.

Moving past that train of thought, Jasper started choking when he saw the familiar gold colored truck drive past and down the street. He shouldn't have known the truck by sight, but he did. He also now knew the driver by sight. _Did she have to be everywhere,_ he thought, watching the truck pull into the Piggly Wiggly.

At least she was updating the electrical. He laughed, thinking back to his childhood and the disgusted look on his mom's face at least once a week. The power would surge or overload the breaker, and everything in the refrigerator would be ruined because his dad hadn't noticed the power was out.

Shaking the thoughts of his dad away, Jasper looked at his watch. He only had a few minutes before he had to return to work. He didn't have time to waste thinking about his father or how bizarre things became when his dad disappeared. It was the beginning of a long, downward spiral.

Back at work, Jasper focused on his job. Sometimes the mundane was a good thing. He didn't have to think about what he was doing. He just had to do what was put in front of him. He didn't have to think about his parents, his brother-in-arms Royce, Rosalie, or anyone else for that matter. Not even a beautiful woman named Alice.

He lost himself in boyhood memories, wishing he could be that person again, but he was no longer innocent. He knew how cruel the world could be. He couldn't be that small town teenager that snuck out of the house and had a beer or two at some bonfire back in the woods.

Could he get past the guilt he felt for cutting his mother off and joining the military after she told him they were moving to Oklahoma, and she was marring that guy Phil, or was it Pete? It wasn't like his father was ever coming back. His mother had done everything in her power to raise him to be a caring and respectful person, including staying in a house she didn't want to be in, one she always said was cursed. She even had the lawyers sign the house over to him instead of selling it when he was supposed to get out of the Army after four years. Out of spite, Jasper reenlisted for another tour just so he didn't have to face her and the mess he had created. Again and again, she had tried to reach out to him; until two years ago when his life came crashing down around his ears.

Those thoughts whirled around and around in his head, refusing to rest, until the last pot was washed and the floors of the restaurant were mopped.

Pulling into the parking lot of the motel was the last place he wanted to be, but he had the breakfast shift in the morning and he needed sleep.

 _June 10, 1910_

 _To Thee my Heart, Edward,_

 _Tonight, the moon is full and cast its light upon my window. It reminds me of you. It is beautiful. My hands feel the night seep through the pane of glass, a reminder of how I miss your touch._

 _I feel as if I am drowning and an ocean of water separates us, but an ocean would be easier to swim and conquer then for us to return to what we had._

 _Has it truly been months since last I looked upon you? Into your eyes? Or that long since you have made me smile? If my eyes are open, then the answer is yes. With my eyes closed, however, the answer is no._

 _I am afraid to admit but I am fearful. Fearful that I may never see you again, and yet fearful that I will. I am sure that being with you would be everything I could ever dream it could be, especially compared to what I endure with James. You showed me that with one kiss. Is truly loving a person the cause for such a drastic difference?_

 _Today, the Doctor has sealed my fate. He has delivered news that binds me to James beyond what I can bear. My body is changing, preparing me for my role as a mother_ , _but there is no change in my heart that can cause me to love another over you._

 _This is not the way our lives were supposed to be. This news should have been our beginning and not our end. You should have been this child's father._

 _But what does it matter now? Should I be ashamed to say I feel cheated in this life?_

 _With all my love,_

 _Bella_

* * *

You guys thought I had died and gone to hell, didn't you? Lol. Or wished? bwahhh. Nope! Actually, school is back in session and I'm trying to find my stride again, as is everyone else I know is. I can't believe summer is already over!

Thank you Storypainter, Yummied, SarcasticBimbo, Kelly, Ruby, and so many more for kicking me and pushing me and helping to whip these chapters into shape. I don't know where this story would be without you. I wish I could name everyone involved but that would be another chapter all by itself.

WIP: Have you guys read, A Few Tables Away by drotuno? This Edward and Bella are so sweet together. I much needed sweetness after editing a chapter. Check it out and tell her I sent you! /s/11436441/10/A-Few-Tables-Away

Completed Works: Golly geez ya'll, I haven't had time to read squittlez since school started. I am so sorry.


	9. Chapter 9

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 9**

* * *

 _Isabella_

 _March 7, 1910_

 _Early the next morning_ _Victoria stood silently, watching Isabella. She was furious with the girl but knew better than to cross James by hurting her. For now the girl was safe, but someday that would not be the case. Someday, she would get even with the girl for taking Jame_ _s'_ _attention away from her. The side of her lips twitched as she suppressed an evil grin. She had plenty of time to think and plan her revenge._

 _"Isabella, it is time to wash and come downstairs for breakfast," she said as she poured water from a fancy cobalt blue pitcher decorated with an iris pattern into the matching bowl. It was a beautiful set, an expensive heirloom_ _;_ _it_ _s_ _use wasted on the little whore who stole James' eye._ Maybe, if I added just a few drops of bleach to the water she would go blind after she washes her face _, the red haired woman thought dreamily to herself._

 _Isabella quietly stood and held a wash cloth while Victoria stood back against the wall next to the door. Subconsciously, she looked at the woman wondering why she stood there instead of leaving._

 _"You really are a princess," Victoria said, sadly shaking her head. She would not take pity on the whip of a girl. Moving forward to the dresser, she removed a nightgown from the drawer. She let her fingers glide across the smooth fabric before laying it on the bed. It was such a beautiful nightgown._

 _Victoria saw the question written on the young girl_ _'_ _s face. Laughing as she crossed the room, she didn't give Isabella a chance to ask her question. She would have to figure it out. There would be no fancy dresses, hats, or other fineries until James was sure she was with child. Once James had a_ _legitimate_ _heir,_ _Victoria_ _would have her chance for revenge._

 _After washing and donning the new night gown, Isabella entered the dinning room on shaky legs and was greeted by her husband. A wide grin showing his white teeth spread across his face._

 _"Isabella, you truly are a vision. Come now and sit. I'm sure you are hungry this morning," he said_ _,_ _gesturing to a chair at one end of the table_ _._ _Once_ _she was_ _seated, James nudged her chair forward and then let his hand brush along her breast as he_ _turned to return to his seat._

 _"Magnificent," he whispered, then went to take his seat at the other end of the table._

 _An older woman Isabella had yet to meet,_ _carried_ _a large tray_ _into_ _the dining room. Without a word, she laid the_ _food_ _on a small_ _tray-_ _table and_ _began serving_ _._ _Her expression was sad when she approached Isabella with her plate, and she quickly left the room once she was done._

 _"That was the cook, Clara. I'm sorry that I didn't introduce you. I will the next time," James said as he watched his wife closely._

 _Isabella grew uncomfortable under his intense stare. Something about the way he looked at her caused her skin to crawl._

 _"Are you cold_ , _my dear_ _?_ _" he asked, his voice full of amusement._

 _"No," she quietly replied_ _,_ _refusing to look at him. She pushed_ _the_ _food around her plate_ _,_ _barely taking a bit_ _e_ _._

 _It wasn't until Clara returned_ _that James spoke again._

 _"Isabella, this is Clara. Clara, this is my wife, Isabella. If lunch and dinner are prepared_ _Clara_ _, you may have the rest of the day to yourself."_

 _"Thank you, Sir_ _,"_ _Clara said_ _. She_ _quickly clear_ _ed_ _the table and disappear_ _ed_ _. She had worked for Mr. Witherdale long enough to know that she needed to act quickly before he changed his mind._

* * *

 **2011**

Alice smiled after taking a few minutes to skim the material before they got started. She spent the evening covering information about the Great Depression era with Seth. She laughed at the shocked expression Seth shot her when she asked to see his class outline. He didn't have one, nor did the rest of the class. For the remainder of the session, that was what they worked on, an outline for Seth to use to study. When Seth's father showed up at precisely eight p.m. his demeanor toward Alice seemed to have changed from cautious to grateful. Michael's smile widened showing his teeth as he asked his son how studying had gone. He thanked Alice for her help and escorted his son out the door. Michael laughed as Seth continued to question Alice right up to the moment the truck roared to life.

Alice waved farewell until the red tail lights disappeared. She returned to the camper looking up at the star-filled sky. Releasing the deep breath she had taken, she sent a silent thank you to the heavens above before she shuffled herself behind the closed door. Thankful tears pricked at the side of her eyes. She was thankful for so much, thankful to be able to help instead of need, thankful for the opportunity to build a life instead of wallowing in self-pity, but mostly thankful for just being alive.

That night, Alice dreamed of a man dressed in a white long sleeve shirt, suspenders that attached to his dungarees that covered the tops of his work boots.

The next morning, after a cup of coffee, she walked up the steps of the porch, but something felt different this morning. She looked back over the path she had walked. She hadn't tripped over the stone she was unable to set well when she adjusted the pavers. And she couldn't pick out which stone she normally stumbled over every morning. _That's odd_ , she thought before dismissing it. Maybe she had just gotten used to walking over the surface.

Wednesday, after returning from a day trip into town, Alice found the front door open, but she could have sworn she locked it. _Maybe I didn't get the door shut tight enough_ , she thought.

Walking through the living room, nothing seemed out of place, nor in the kitchen. Upstairs, the same thing, everything seemed to be in place.

Shrugging her shoulders, Alice returned to her truck and grabbed a bag. She had finally decided on a faucet and spout for the shower. There was still some soldering to do, but she was almost there, just a few more pipes. With the bag in hand, she quickly returned to the house. She wanted to see for herself that she had made the right choice. Running upstairs, opening the bathroom door and looking in, Alice was unable to move forward.

 _What the hell was going on?_ she mumbled or thought to herself, she wasn't sure.

The mildew-resistant sheet rock she had purchased, special for the bathroom, was already hung. The extension for the shower head was in place, and so were the valve stems for the temperature control handles and the spout. She looked between the barren bathroom walls and the shower walls. Everything was just as she had planned it from the beginning. As amazing as the bathroom looked, it scared her knowing someone had been in her house without her knowledge.

Though she was scared, she started laughing. The conversation in her head sounded ridiculous. _Yes, officer, I would like to report a crime. Someone came into my house_ , _finished the piping in my bathroom and hung my sheet rock for me... No, nothing seems to be missing officer, but someone was in my house without my permission. That's trespassing, isn't it? Proof? Isn't the sheet rock proof enough? Or the finished piping?_

A sense of peace washed over her when her laughter subsided. No one in their right mind would break into someone's house and work. There had to be an explanation, and that explanation was either Seth or his father.

She chastised herself for her foolishness and grabbed her cell phone. After the fourth ring, the call went to voice mail. Feeling embarrassed, Alice ended the call and decided she would talk to either of them in person. If nothing else, she could ask Seth the next time he was over. She had agreed to let his father pay for her to tutor Seth with his own skills. She was sure that was what it had to be.

Thursday, after working on the bathroom, muddying drywall for most of the morning, Alice decided to take a quick trip into town. She locked the front door and checked it three times before she left. She wasn't taking any chances until she talked to Seth or his father, and she didn't want to jump to conclusions either. After making short work of her errands, she realized she was hungry and headed to the diner.

"Hi, Amanda. How are you today? I haven't seen you the last few times I've come for lunch," Alice said, as the owner of the diner smiled at her.

"Alice. I'm good. I actually took a few days off this week." Amanda said pulling her order tickets from her apron.

"How did you manage that?" Alice asked, smiling.

"I have some new help that seems to be working out better than I could have hoped for. He's a hard worker and I think he just needed someone to give him a chance." Amanda replied. Realizing she may have said too much she changed topics. "What can I get for you today? Something other than a hamburger, I hope."

Amanda laughed at Alice's wrinkled nose.

"Fine. What are you going to drink with that?" Amanda asked suspecting the answer. The cocked eyebrows Alice expressed confirmed it. "Vanilla Pepsi..." she shuddered as she walked away.

"What are you going to do when you finish that old house?" Amanda asked, returning with Alice's food and drink.

"I don't know, but I'm going to have to figure out something. I might go crazy with nothing to do." Alice failed to mention she already thought that may have already gone crazy at times.

"Well, enjoy your meal, and I'll keep my ears open. Maybe I could convince you to become my new waitress."

"What, so I can make everyone laugh when I spill drinks on customers and break plates when I drop them?" Alice laughed. Her hands flew over her mouth when she heard herself snort.

Amanda retreated with her shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Alice was definitely good for an laugh.

Feeling like she had eaten just a little too much, Alice headed toward the local park instead of heading home. Sitting on a bench she took in all the activity going on around her. The children laughing, the dogs barking, the family banter from a group at the picnic tables. She missed the sounds of children's laughter. It reminded her of her mom's house being full after leaving the hospital. _Mom should've had a dozen children_ , she thought to herself. A little overwhelmed by her musing, she stood and walked away.

Crossing at Main Street, Alice noticed a plantation-styled building. The sign out front said it was the Gulfport Historical Society building. She decided that on a rainy day she would come into town and delve into the archives of the town.

The pattern of her days settled into a smooth routine, During the day she would work on the house, and at night she would read one of Edward's letters, fall asleep, and dream of a different time and of a man she didn't know.

Friday night, Seth and his father arrived sooner than expected, and she smiled warmly at them.

"Miss Alice, I got an A on my test!" Seth shouted, as soon as he was free from his dad's truck.

"I knew you could do it!" Alice replied, reflecting Seth's enthusiasm. "Let me see that paper," she demanded. Alice's smile beamed. There in the right hand corner, marked with red ink, was a giant A. Seth chattered incessantly as they walked to the house. It wasn't until they were sitting at the table that she remembered wanting to talk to Seth's father. Unfortunately, he had already left.

"Miss Alice, will you continue to help me for the rest of the class? I know I got an A, but I don't think the teacher... never mind."

"What, Seth?" Alice asked.

"Nothing. I just...I don't know how to explain it other than I don't think the teacher is very happy with me. She asked me if I cheated."

"Are you serious?" Alice asked. Seth shrugged his shoulders, looking defeated. "Hmm. Well, I guess we're going to have to keep showing her how smart you really are!"

Seth looked at Alice, hope bubbling to the surface of his face.

"You're going to keep helping me study?" Seth asked.

"It's, will you or are you, not you're," Alice corrected and smiled when Seth laughed.

"Thank you," he said, giving Alice a hug.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do at the present," she said. "Oh, and that reminds me, I need a bill from your father for the projects he's helped finish up around here."

"What are you talking about, Miss. Alice. My dad won't be able to help for a few more weeks. He's working on a big project right now. I hardly ever see him."

"Your dad hasn't come over and worked on the bathroom?" Alice asked. A chill ran down her spine at the slow shake of his head.

"Can you show me what was done?" Seth asked. He didn't like the way his stomach was turning. The thought of some stranger being in her house unsettled him. He liked Alice a little more than was probably appropriate, even if she was older.

"Are you pulling my leg?" Seth asked after Alice showed him the bathroom and the pavers outside.

Alice started laughing because of his worried expression and decided to play it off. It was obvious he had no clue what was going on. She didn't need him freaking her out more than she already was.

"Yes, Seth, I'm pulling your leg." Alice watched carefully and caught the roll of Seth's eyes as his smile returned.

"Hey, all we have to do, really, is finish the master bedroom. You could probably move in once the electricity is hooked up. How is the wiring coming along in the kitchen?" Seth asked.

"I only have two more runs to pull in the kitchen," Alice said. She was grateful for Seth's chatter moving the conversation forward and giving her a chance to think about something other than nervous she was becoming.

"I bet if we worked really fast, the two of us could pull those wires before Dad gets here to pick me up," Seth suggested. "and, we could finish the master bedroom next study session." For the next thirty minutes they pulled the last few electrical wires for the kitchen, making sure to label each wire.

"I'll see you Monday night," Alice yelled from the porch as Seth climbed into his dad's truck. Both Seth and his father smiled and waved before heading out.

Once they were out of sight, she relaxed.

Alice was exhausted, but she managed to set a few traps through the house in an attempt to figure out what all the weird was real, or her overactive imagination. She turned off the generator, and using a flashlight, she carefully made her way to the camper. The box of letters was sitting next to her bed but she couldn't bring herself to read one. She lay down thinking about the traps, until her last thought was how good the bed felt after such a long day.

The sun was already up and the camper was sweltering when she finally awoke. She darted out the door of her camper. When she opened the front door to the house, she heard the tin can fall and roll around on the wooden floor, confirming no one had been in the house while she had been sleeping. Checking in the master bedroom, the piece of paper she had hidden fell to the floor as she opened the door. Turning around and checking the bathroom, she heard the rubber band, she had precariously wedged there, snap as she forced open the door.

She jumped when she heard a creaking noise come from the staircase, but when she looked down, no one was there. A cold shiver ran through her body followed by a breeze of warmth. Was it her imagination playing tricks on her, or was there something more present, something supernatural?

Shaking away the feeling, Alice set her path for the kitchen. She couldn't wait for the electricity to be hooked up. She was tired of using the noisy generators out back. Soon. Just a few more runs to finish and she could call the electrician back and have him work his, and then silencing the generator forever.

* * *

 **No, I have not forgotten everyone. I want to thank Yummied (Jennifer White) and Storypainter (Tara) for all the feedback they gave me to whip this chapter into shape. Boy was that rough… all those red marks. I want to thank Kelly and Belynda for pre-reading and telling me when I am getting off track, but sometimes even they do not know where we are headed. This story would not be possible with all the support from my friends on Facebook. The list is long.**

 **I also want to apologies for not being able to reply to each review last chapter. I barely have time to breath and it has been a very busy semester. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. And never feel bad to send me a note reminding me I need to update lol. I think I would forget my own name if I didn't have to type it 100 times a day.**

 **So, what did you think about this chapter? I can't wait to hear your thoughts. I may not have time to reply, but I definitely read each one. Okay, I'll see you soon as I have to get back to homework. And I apologies for not having a completed story or wip ready for you. I haven't had time to read anything other than textbooks. If you want a resource for Anatomy and Physiology, I have a ton of those!**

 **The three R's of Fanfiction.**

 **Read**

 **Review, and**

 **Reshare!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

 **September 7, 1910**

 _"Mom, I'm home," Edward called as he slipped through the front door. To him, everything looked the same as when he had left, until his mother entered from the kitchen. She looked older, her hair more gray._

 _Caught by surprise when she saw him, Elizabeth dropped the ceramic bowl she was carrying, which broke as it hit the floor. He had changed. He was no longer lanky or scrawny. His shoulders were broader and his arms thicker. His hair was longer too, and fell across his eyes until he pushed it away. His eyes were still the greenest she had ever seen, but there were dark circles under them, as if he hadn't slept a wink since his departure._

 _"Oh, Edward," she whispered before launching herself at him. She had missed him in the most horrible of ways. He was all she had left of her husband and looked more like him than he ever had_ before _. When Edward glanced down at his mother, the smile they shared didn't reach his eyes._

 _Elizabeth Masen had changed as well. Her hair had more gray twisted through the coppery color they shared. She looked much older and frailer than she had just six months prior. He could see the sadness etched in the lines of her face and eyes when she looked up at him._

 _"My, haven't you grown. Your hair... it's so long now. You're not my little boy anymore," she said, patting him on the chest. "I've missed you."_

 _"I've missed you too. How are you?"_

 _"Me? I'm fine. Much better now that you're here," Elisabeth said wiping away a stray tear._

 _"Well, I wanted you to know where I am and that I have a plan now."_

 _Elizabeth coaxed her son into the living room before bringing them both some tea so they could talk. She hoped maybe Edward had met someone new and wouldn't ask about Bella. She didn't know how she was going to tell him everything that had happened since his departure._

 _"So..." she prodded, letting him know she was ready to hear what he had to say. Her heart felt the lightest it had in months. Her son was here._

 _"Well, I bought a parcel of land_ , _and when I'm not working on the mountain, I'm clearing it to build a house. One big enough for you and Bella," he began. "What's wrong?" he asked as his mother's expression fell and she stared at the floor. Tears pricked behind her eyes, hearing the concern in her son's voice._

 _"Edward... you need to forget about Isabella. I'm mean—, " She watched the color fade from her son's face. His heart was breaking all over again, and still there was nothing she could do. "I'm sorry . . . so, so, sorry, Edward," She didn't continue until he nodded in understanding. "She was married the day after you left. She's moved on, Edward." Elizabeth knew that if she told him the truth, the whole truth, her son would be wanted for murder. The only thing she could do was try to dissuade him from seeking her out and learning the truth on his own._

 _"But she isn't eighteen yet! She wasn't supposed to be married until her eighteenth birthday on September thirteenth...that's next week. That is why I'm back now," Edward said confused._

 _"I'm sorry, Edward, but according to Mr. Witherdale, Bella's birthday was March third."_

 _"I see," Edward said, but he didn't understand, at all. He was trying to figure out how he could move on after what they shared. They continued to talk about how life was treating them. Elizabeth was scared for her son after he told her what he was doing for a living. She had read how dangerous his job could be. By evening, Edward had highlighted the changes that had taken place since he had left. He wrote down an address where he could be contacted. He included the plot number where his property was located outside of Gulfport. He promised to would contact her as soon as the house was finished. The area always needed a good teacher_ , _and he was looking forward to having her around again. Without Bella, there was no reason to stay any longer. The sooner he returned to Gulfport and finished the house, the sooner his mother could join him. He also would run the risk of seeing Bella with someone else._

* * *

 **2011**

"So, Jasper, what did you do this week?" Sam asked, looping an apron around his neck and tying it in the back.

"Not much. Watched some television," he replied with an easy lie. Fact was, Jasper kept busy and felt invisible all week. He hadn't planned it that way; he just hadn't been lucky enough to catch Alice's attention. With nothing better to do, he'd done whatever he saw in front of him. Even as he filled the rack with dishes, in the back of his mind he tried to formulate a scenario of approaching Alice that didn't have him looking like a stalker. Part of him didn't want the house back, but there was a side of him that didn't want to let go of it either. Maybe his life could be set on the right track now that the house belonged to someone else.

 _Jasper's mind wandered back to his second visit. Alice hadn't been there, but the front door was unlocked. He looked around for her, calling her name but received no answer. He noticed a binder on the coffee table sitting next to a half empty cup of cold coffee. Sitting on the couch, he flipped through the pages of her notes and ideas she had to bring the house back to life. Her neat penmanship intrigued him because his own was barely legible. Alice had thought long and hard about how she wanted to fix up the old house. In fact, it was very similar to how he always thought the house was supposed to look. There were detailed drawings, along with precise measurements for every project that had been completed or was still in the works._

 _Flipping through the pages of the notebook, the detailed drawing of the bathroom caught his attention. "Nice," he said, turning the page to the specs. He read her notes, then strolled upstairs to see in what stage of repair the bathroom was. "If you leave it like this, missy, you're gonna have trouble," he mumbled, inspecting the copper pipes and looking at her solder joints. He knew they would leak, and whoever had tried to put them together, didn't know how to solder worth a lick. Everything he needed was there, next to where the sink and toilet would eventually be. He knew he needed to fix them right. After completing the solder joints, he carefully measured the wall before adding a piece of sheet rock. Unlike the rock outside he had fixed with a few shovels of dirt to cover the exposed corner, the bathroom would be a noticeable fix. There would be no deniability this time._

But what now? How did he explain to her this pull he felt toward her without scaring her? How could he tell her that he felt something for her without knowing her?

Other than her light green eyes, Alice was almost the spitting image of his great-grandmother, Isabella Masen. Their skin was the same pale cream color, and if Alice's hair was pulled back in a braid, you wouldn't be able to tell the two apart. The resemblance between them still freaked him out, but there was something else too, something he was struggling to figure out himself. Every time he looked at Alice, it was as if he was transported back in time. There was also a childlike innocence she had that disturbed him.

His great-grandmother would be disappointed if she were still alive and knew that the house she had raised his grandfather in was no longer the family homestead. Her marriage to his great-grandfather was described as a tragic storybook romance, and it was rumored later that she married again, but there was no record found after his death in 1912.

Jasper didn't remember much about his grandfather Riley either, except for stories his mother or grandmother told him. Somewhere, he had a picture of them together when he was two, just before he died. Now, the only family he had left was his Mother, Abby Whitlock.

His mother, Abby, had told Jasper how much he resembled his grandfather. He had his grandfather's eyes and smile. He had his mother's nose, cheeks, and chin, but his blond hair came from his father.

They didn't talk about his father much, but Jasper knew deep down that his mother had loved him right up until she met her second husband. Jasper still had a few good memories of his father that hadn't been tainted by resentment, but he never understand why he had just up and left. The last few years gave him a more mature look into his fathers life. Jasper wasn't the same after serving in the military, either. But would he leave his family at some point in time, too? The thought made him shudder, and the chill that ran down his spine brought him back to reality.

"That's it... you watched television?" Sam asked, amazed. "Man, we need to get you a life."

"What?" Jasper asked, coming back to the present.

"It's worse than I thought. We need to get you laid, man," Sam said, laughing.

"No, thank you," Jasper replied, dragging out his words, his southern accent in full force. Jasper quirked an eyebrow as he spoke, making Sam laugh harder. "What?"

"God, what I wouldn't give for that accent. I would have had my pick for female companionship in high school. I bet the women throw themselves at you."

"I reckon... but I wouldn't want a woman who threw herself at _me_. She'd have to be either desperate, married, or mental."

"So you say. I know better," Sam said, looking through the window of the double doors that lead into the restaurant.

Jasper was confused, but let it go and stacked more dishes.

"You wouldn't see it coming, would you?" Sam said, pushing past Jasper's lack of response.

"What are you two fools talking about now?" Amanda asked as she barreled through the door. "Ben, I need a burger and a vanilla Pepsi," she added, yelling towards the kitchen.

"Nothing," Jasper said softly, but Sam's booming voice drowned out him out.

"Jasper's love life!"

"Well, now. Ain't that interesting?" Amanda replied, taking stock of Jasper's demeanor.

* * *

 **a/n**

 **Good Morning Ya'll! Contrary to popular belief, yes, I am still alive. I'm in between semesters for a couple of weeks, so I want to update a few chapters if I can.**

 **Thank you Belynda, Jennifer, Story! This story would have never seen the light of day without you. You ladies are saints to put up with me for so long. Xoxoxoxoxo.**

 **I know it has been awhile since I last updated and I hope you are sticking it out with me. I promise, I will continue to edit chapters as fast as I can and post until the story is complete. I hope you will still READ, REVIEW, AND RESHARE.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 11**

 _ **Isabella March 7, 1910**_

 _Isabella sat quietly after the table had been cleared, waiting for James to speak. It could have been five minutes, or twenty, she wasn't sure, before she couldn't take the silence anymore._

 _"Is there anything that you need me to do today, James?" she finally asked._

 _"Need... or want?" James replied with a query._

 _"I just... I want to be a good wife..." Isabella explained trailing off in uncertainty. Other than the rights of a husband, she still didn't know what James expected from her. Was it just yesterday that she thought her life was going to take another path with another man? That she believed Edward had wanted more from her than her innocence? Deep inside she knew Edward loved her, but she also knew from the beginning that she was in America as the bride in an arranged marriage. How could she have been so careless with her heart and given it to someone she couldn't keep? She was just a nieve girl then. Now, she was face to face with a reality she didn't want or understand._

 _"A good wife? I like your attitude, Isabella. Come here," he spoke, motioning for her to close the gap between them. When she stood beside him he pushed his chair back from the table. Taking her hand, he led her between him and the table. Then he lifted her by the hips and set her on the table. He laughed as her eyes grew wide and she pulled her gown tight against her skin trying to keep it closed. He dismissed the fear she so openly showed in her expressive eyes. He scooted the chair closer and placed her feet to either side of him, resting them on the chair. He stroked the silken material of her nightgown along her thighs. His eyes wandered across her torso._

 _"Are you certain you are not cold?" he inquired again with the same matter of fact tone as before._

 _"No," she lied, causing James' to grin. All she desired was to be somewhere else._

 _"And you want to be a respectable wife, correct?" he asked in a demanding voice. Her nod in response prompted him to continue. "But you do not know what to expect?" He waited for her answer and received another nod. Oh, how he would savor his new wife, he thought, but she wasn't ready for all of that yet. "For now, all you need to be concerned with is taking care of your health. I will take care of everything else." His hands moved to her hips as he stood, pulling her closer, forcing her legs to spread and make room for him. His hands slid up her body to her face. Jerking at her chin, he forced her to look up at him. Looking down into her brown innocent eyes, he could almost consider the appeal of actually kissing her that many couples seemed to enjoy._ Almost _. Seeing his reflection in her eyes shook him from those thoughts. "Until you are with child, you will remain exactly as you are, dressed in soft fabric and available for me as I see fit, Isabella. That is all I expect for now. Once that has happened, we shall settle into a more normal routine." He could feel her trembling against him. How he wanted to lift her nightgown and take her right there on the table. Knowing how innocent she was, he thought perhaps he would give her a little more time before he showed her what he really liked to do with a women._

 _Desperately, Isabella looked for a way out. Who could she turn to? What was she supposed to do? If the door had been unlocked and she had presentable clothes, she would have run. It seemed that James had not just married her but taken her prisoner. What would it do to her family if she fled? Would it destroy everything her father was working toward? Would he care that she could not love this man, or want him?_

 _Innocent or not, James decided to give her a small lesson in what he expected from her. He lifted her nightgown above her knees and watched as shock and fear registered on her face. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for help. His grin grew into an evil sneer as she tried to close her legs and cover her bare skin. He liked her fear more than he should, he thought, as he ran his hand over the zipper that separated them._

 _"I'm sorry to say that I like it when you cry, Isabella," he whispered in her ear before he pulled her closer, closing the small gap between them. His hands roughly scooped her up and held her as he moved away from the table towards the stairs. Fear fueled her reaction as she grabbed a hold of him, afraid to be dropped on the floor._

 _"This is just the beginning, Isabella."_

 **2011**

Alice swayed back and forth in the swing overlooking the back yard. She loved the view in the early evening, watching as the sun started to lower itself in the sky. Soon the sun would disappear behind the trees and the darkness would creep in, taking its place. The stars would come out, blinking in the heavens above. The sweet scent of pine would float in the air and fill her senses.

She reflected on her afternoon and how Amanda had acted weird when she returned with her food. She didn't know what was behind the woman's questions that seemed to come out of nowhere.

So what if she was single? A woman didn't need a man to be complete, did she? Her parents and her brother, Emmett, told her that she'd been in love before, but the last time she met the man that claimed they were in love, she had felt nothing for him. He seemed nice enough, but there wasn't a spark of recognition. Since then, she had yet to meet a man who could stir any feelings in her, deep down in her being, some place hidden. She wondered briefly if she ever would.

She was listening to the crickets chirping in the tree line when she realized she needed to stop lying to herself. She _had_ met a man that stirred something inside of her. She just wasn't sure what that something was. She was definitely curious about him, but curiosity did not constitute attraction or love. Besides, he kept running away all the time. She also realized that a man was not what kept her feeling incomplete, but her missing memory.

It had been two years since she woke up in a strange bed, with no memory of who she was. It was possible she had been in a minor car accident, but the fresh dent in the car was barely noticeable. It was also possible that the raging infection she had when she woke up could have been the culprit, but it was treated quickly with antibiotics. It could have been a combination of both, but no one knew for sure. Simply put, her memory just wasn't there. Her physicians, parents, and friends were at a loss. There was no telling if her memory would ever return. The best advice they could give her was to _rebuild your life the best you can._ The decision was made for Alice to move home with her parents and try to put the pieces of her life back together.

Alice's brother, Emmett, couldn't be any more her opposite. Where Emmett had their father's dark eyes, Alice had their mother's green. Emmett was tall with wide shoulders and an intimidating physique. Alice was petite with nice curves. Emmett was a big softy while Alice could be mean as nails. But they were brother and sister, all right. They shared the same dark hair color and light colored skin. They shared the same nose, and they both had birth marks on opposite knees. If you put their knees together, you could almost imagine the shape of a heart.

Emmett was the first to realize that Alice was rapidly approaching overload from the information forced upon her from friends and other family members. He had come home for a visit and found Alice sitting in the living room, crying, photo albums covering every available surface.

He snatched her up off the sofa and dragged her outside to his car. She was sure he had a plan, but he later confessed, _he didn't have a clue what he was doing. He only knew he needed to do something._ He drove them to the nearest store looking for something that would help bring his sister back to him. He missed her, and he was done simply waiting for her to come back. Alice repeated that she didn't know what he wanted from her as she wiped her eyes, walking up and down the aisles of the drug store. Emmett agreed that he didn't either, but as soon as he saw it, he would know.

She remembered wanting to laugh when a wide grin spread across his face, and he declared he had found it. She was hit with hysterics when he grabbed an empty photo album from the shelf. _Hadn't they just left a hundred of them back at the house?_

Once they returned to the house, Emmett collected the albums, skimming through them and stacking them in no particular order. Alice was still confused, but she could see the look of determination on his face. She just wished she could remember him, something, and anything about her life before waking up that horrible morning. She hated feeling like a newborn stuck in an adult body.

Emmett laid the album on the table and opened to the first page. Of course it was blank, it was new. Then he grabbed a family album and quickly flipped the pages until he found what he was looking for.

"This is us, when you were born. I still can't believe Mom let me hold you when I was three," he said slid the picture into a clear sheet of plastic. He continued taking pictures from the family albums and adding them one by one to the new one. He added pictures of their great-grandparents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen; their grandparents, Paul and Samantha Fisher; and then finally, a few of their parents, John and Jenny Brandon. Emmett also placed her bachelor's degree in elementary education and her state issued teaching degree. When he was finished, he handed her the album and told her, _"For now, that's all you need to know. It's time for you to figure out who you are, and since nobody has a magic wand, you have to figure that out yourself."_

That's when Alice decided to find her own place. Why Gulfport, she couldn't tell. There was just a pull to this city, this community, and especially, to this house. For the last two years she had felt different, lost and frightened by what had happened. Here in this house, she felt a as if she had finally come home after being lost for so long.

Shaking her head and blinking rapidly, Alice pulled herself from that path of thinking and back to the present. The sun was almost gone and she had missed watching it drift behind the trees. A ruffling noise caught her attention and drew her eyes to the tree line. She couldn't see anything different but knew something was there. A cold chill ran down her back. She startled as a deer loped into view. The creature looked at her and stood still before disappearing again. The mist on the ground swirled into a ghostly figure before dissipating. Heat rushed to the surface of her skin before the temperature around her returned to normal.

"Alice, you've been reading too many ghost stories," she scoffed at herself.

* * *

 **I so bet ya'll though I was never going to update, didn't you? I just finished midterms for this semester. In an effort to lick my wounds I thought I should spend something NOT academic! Like, maybe, UPDATE!**

 **Thank you Bylinda, Yummy, and Story! There is NO WAY I COULD DO THIS WITHOUT YOU THREE IN MY CORNER AND YOU EXPERT WONDERFUL ADVICE ON CHAPTERS!**

 **I want to thank everyone for there add's to favorites, favorite authors, follows... all of it. It has kept me from getting completely lost in boring ass text books. lol. I have a couple days next week to myself, so I will try to get you another chapter before hell breaks free and I find my fat ass sitting in a classroom again. (BWAHHHHH).**

 **And I do, so much, appreciate the reviews. They are part of what keeps me sane.**

 **Read, Review, ReSHARE!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 12**

 _ **Edward September 12, 1910**_

 _His_ _brain_ _hammered against his skull and his stomach turned painfully, forcing Edward to move quickly. He wasn't even awake yet as he pushed against the canvas doors of the tent before the_ _booze—c_ _onsumed the night before—reappeared, tearing at his throat and nose. His body heaved to expel the poison._

 _"Not much of a drinker, huh?"_

 _"Not so loud, please. What did I drink? My head feels like it is going to explode." Edward commented._

 _"Ah, that there my boy was the real stuff. One hundred percent moonshine. Made it myself. Other than your head exploding, how do you feel?"_

 _"Like death."_

" _What do you remember from last night?"_

 _"Not much. I think-"_

 _"Don't think! Just let it go," the man said as he stood and dumped his coffee into the fire. "Whatever it was, it's past. Time for me to get into the woods. See you after lunch."_

 _"Thank you, Garrett."_

 _"No thanks needed," Garrett said as he disappeared past the thickets of bark and leaves._

 _Edward still couldn't remember what had happened the day before by the time lunch was over, and by the way he still felt, he wasn't sure he wanted to. He still felt weak and lightheaded but Garrett was right, it was time to get back to work. Garrett wouldn't come out of the woods until dinner time; none of the loggers would. Edward grabbed his tools and followed on shaky legs._

 **2011**

Jasper sat in the hotel room alone. His hands were shaking and he knew what it was he wanted. A drink. But that was out of the question. He felt antsy, as if the other shoe was about to drop on his life, again.

He could not explain the growing curiosity he felt for the petite, dark haired woman that stood between him and what had once belonged to him. The house may have been the only home he had known growing up, but now that she was there, the pull to be close was stronger. It was as if her presence brought something he couldn't identify, that had been missing all along.

He tried to think back to his childhood and wondered if the house seemed as mysterious to her as it had to him. Was she experiencing the same weird occurrences he had as a child?

Had she had kept his family photo albums or thrown everything out? There was only one way to find out, and that was to go and ask. Collecting his nerve, he made the decision to visit her again.

As he pulled out of the parking lot of the motel, he imagined contrasting scenarios of how their meeting would go. He tried different arguments out in his head, hoping she wouldn't send him away empty handed. With his little trips through the house, he knew she had kept a few things, but he wondered how much she had tossed. He also wondered if it would be better to confess everything or play the clueless card.

Would the scenarios he imagined have her calling the police, again? Hadn't she invited him back anytime? Was she sincere? The biggest mystery that plagued him though, other than looking like his grandmother, was why did she look familiar?

Jasper knocked on the door like any normal person would. He knew she was around there somewhere; her truck was parked in the driveway, but there was no answer. In fact, he couldn't hear anything: no movement, no music, nothing, and it was almost dark. The sun had already lowered behind the trees.

Jasper was distracted by the thin layer of haze covering the ground, taking it just out of focus. "Hello," he called out as he turned the corner of the house moving into the back yard.

"Oh, my God! You scared the shit out of me," Alice yelled, flustered, with wide eyes. It was obvious with as much noise as Jasper was making, she still hadn't heard him coming. He froze instantly. Lost for words, he stared at her until she started laughing, almost manically, from the swing.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to sneak up on unsuspecting woman like that?" she asked, her voice playful. Jasper looked around, feeling like he'd stepped into an old _Twilight Zone_ episode or something.

"I was joking. Can I help you?" she asked, regaining his attention.

"I . . . I wasn't trying to be quiet on purpose, I swear," Jasper said. Now that he was face-to-face with her, he didn't know what to do or say. All of his carefully laid plans disappeared. Why had he come here again? Oh—the fact that he couldn't stay away might have had something to do with it, but as he looked at Alice, he wasn't sure that was the case anymore.

"That's okay, I was lost in thought. I wasn't paying attention myself." Alice stood and the breeze picked up, scattering the letters that were sitting next to her, momentarily forgotten.

"No!" Alice exclaimed as she tried to catch the papers while they blew around. Jasper's fast reaction helped contain the situation when he ran after the papers blowing the furthest away.

While he gathered the first sheets of paper off the ground, he recognized its weight and texture. It were old. He chased down another run away paper. The letters were private and didn't belong to him. He tried not to read the words that were written on them, but couldn't help himself as his eyes scanned the paper. Jasper carefully straightened the sheets, returning to where Alice stood, who had a stack of her own.

 _My Dearest Isabella . . . Forever Heartbroken . . . Edward_

Could these be from his great-grandfather? Actual letters written before the grave? Would they hold the answers to his family's past?

"I always believed he'd written letters," Jasper said. "but we could never find them..." he trailed off, handing the stack over.

"May I?" Jasper asked, looking Alice in the eye. He was curious, happy even, and it showed. Alice relaxed.

"Um . . . thank you . . . Do you prefer to be called Jasper or Mr. Whitlock?" Alice asked, thinking back to the day He'd shown up on her doorstep for the second.

"Jasper is fine," he replied, lowering his eyes to the ground. Looking her in the eye made him feel uneasy, vulnerable. Like a kid again. It felt as if she had some mystical power that made him turn into a rambling school boy.

"Bring them inside . . . and call me Alice," she said.

Jasper watched her clutch loose leaves of paper to her chest as she looked around to make sure they'd captured them all before stumbling through the back door of the house. Speechless, he followed without complaint. A question burning in his mind the whole time. Why did he feel a connection with someone he didn't know and had only recently met?

Jasper laid the papers next to the ones she'd already set down on the kitchen table. He looked around before letting his eyes return to the table. He noticed there were new pieces of furniture mixed with pieces his family had left behind. He wasn't sure how he felt seeing pieces of his childhood filling the spaces he'd grown up in, knowing the house no longer belonged to the family.

"They're just some old love letters I found . . ." she commented before going silent.

"My apologies, I don't mean to pry. It's none of my business," Jasper said trying to quell the tension he felt growing in the room.

There was a long pause before Alice's whispered voice ended it. "But it probably is. I found the letters upstairs . . . in the master bedroom," she said, looking at him and trying to gauge his reaction.

Jasper was confused, trying to connect Alice's words with the letters. She found them in the master bedroom? Had she discovered letters that he searched for a thousand times over the years? How? Who?

"Grab a chair," she suggested. She moved around the kitchen preparing to light a few kerosene lanterns, mildly burning her finger with a match.

With a gentle smile, Jasper offered to start the generator outside first. Alice agreed it would be better idea when she bumped and stumbled into a chair.

It didn't take Jasper long to exchange the gas cans on the generators and get them going again. He smiled, satisfied, when the light showed through the windows of the kitchen. Alice's dark silhouette filled the window as he approached.

An invisible touch moved across his skin, like the caress of icy fingers chilling his arm where they loitered. It felt comforting; reminding him of his childhood.

* * *

 **Hi Everyone! Yes, I am still alive. This semester was brutal and I am glad I survived. I wasn't sure I was going to toward the end. I have the summer free, and wanted to start it off with a bang so here is your update, chapter 12.**

 **Please forgive me for not replying to reviews. I read each one of them and they mean the world to me. It was just crazy busy and I never had time to stop and smell the roses. Each one of you, your comments, and the time you spend with me through my story is an amazing feeling.**

 **I want to thank several people for sticking with me and helping me sort out these chapters.**

 **Thank you, Yummy, Belynda, Storypainter, Kelly, Clo, Born, Sally, and Mary-Lyn. You guys have kept me going over the last few years and I wouldn't know what to do without you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 13**

* * *

 _ **Isabella June 10, 1910**_

 _The first several months of marriage were hard on Isabella, in ways her innocence had never dreamed. She found the strength that allowed her to lock away her thoughts of Edward Masen until she could safely run to him when no one was watching. She talked to him at night, using the moon as a messenger. The moon listened and kept her secrets safe. It wasn't until her body started to change that James relented in his nightly visits._

 _Victoria stayed in the background with her son, Riley, only pretending friendship when Isabella's husband was present. In his absence, Victoria taunted Isabella disussing her physical relationship she enjoyed with James until the dark-eyed beauty with chestnut hair had stolen him. Victoria had never come right out and threatened Isabella with harm, but the intent was always present behind her words and feigned friendship._

 _Once Dr. Cullen had confirmed Isabella was with child, she was left in peace and untouched most of the time. She was presented with beautiful dresses and treated with a sort of fondness. She was escorted through town, shown off like a prized breeding horse, and showered with gifts. Isabella kept her head raised high above the mumbles and stares that she presumed was about her relationship with James. They couldn't be about anything else in her mind. One day she would figure out how to free herself from the nightmare she was living. She would find Edward, wherever he had gone, and beg him to love her again._

 _The manner in which James now interacted with her, had she not been privy to his sexual appetite, Isabella could almost see his appeal to women had she not been in love with Edward. James walked down the street holding his wife's hand and intertwined his arm with hers as they strolled_ _. Entering buildings, he would place his hand on the small of her back and allow her to enter first. He spoke to her about the books she had read and what she had done during the day while he was absent._

 _After discovering that Isabella could play the piano, James bought one locally that very day and had it delivered to the house, listening to the sweet sounds after dinner as he watched her intently. There was something about Isabella when she played the instrument that stirred an unfamiliar desire deep within him. Once, he even scolded her for trying to carry too much weight as she attempted to help Clara with the laundry._

 _James began going out of his way to include Riley at the dinner table along with his mother, Victoria, instead of making them eat in the servants' kitchen. He told Isabella on more than one occasion, "The way that Riley has taken to you is a blessing to me. It is why I know you will make a find, upstanding mother once our child arrives."_

 _Riley was young, half as young as Isabella, but he was smarter than most ten years olds. Maybe smarter than James himself. And life was not easy for the young man. Isabella had been upset when he came home from school upset and angry. The boys had made fun of him because he was a bastard child. It was not Riley's fault he'd been born out of wedlock. It was also not his fault James didn't seem to care how the boy was ridiculed._

 _Isabella was grateful she could comfort the child. She was glad that neither James nor Victoria seemed to care about their relationship. At least there was someone in the house she could connect with, because it certainly wasn't the adults. She would not think twice about them once she was free. James could have set his eyes back on Victoria again. Victoria, on the other hand, still held Isabella in contempt. She never warmed towards the new woman of the house._

" _There is something hidden deep in the redheaded woman's eyes." Isabella wrote in her diary. "Victoria's eyes can only be described as evil. Her hatred seemed to grow in proportion with the child that grows inside of me." Her words insinuated that Victoria stood in the background and watch Isabella rock in the wooden chair next to the living room window rubbing her swollen belly and how Victoria came into her room every morning smiling to poured water into the basin, lay out something for her to wear, and leave, never saying more than a handful of words. The tone of Victoria's voice sounded as if she were plotting revenge._

 _It wasn't until Isabella's sixth month of pregnancy that there was another shift in her relationship with James. After returning home from a trip to town, James walked into the parlor and poured himself a stiff drink. He drank it down in one swig then poured himself another. Isabella grew nervous when James poured the third without so much as a word._

 _"Back home, there was a boy that you loved," James said._

 _Anger and rage twisted the word love into a word she almost did not recognize. The evil sneer twisted his face into something inhuman and caused her to step back. Fear flooded Isabella as she recalled the too-quick and unexpected encounter with Edward. She and James had been shopping, and Isabella had crossed the street to look at a dress hanging in the store window while her husband spoke with a business partner._

 _Out of nowhere, like a gift dropping down to earth from heaven, she had been breathe. Edward had appeared before her and she drank him in greedily. Yes, Edward had changed. He looked . . . stronger, wider, and more . . . manly. And all she had come up with to say was, "excuse me", as she drank in the sight of him. His hair was longer but the same color. His eyes were wide with shock but still their familiar light green. He didn't look her in the eyes. His eyes transfixed on her growing belly._

 _James' voice, though loud, moved closer. Next to seeing Edward it was like a distant, sound drowned out by the wind. She had to think fast and do something before James figured everything out. Quickly, as James stepped next to her, Isabella made introductions to her husband, as if it was something she did everyday. How badly she wanted to throw herself into Edward's arms. If her heart had not been rooted by fear, she might have done just that, but James was dangerous and Edward was in danger._

 **2011**

Alice stood by the window trying to figure out how this man, Jasper, seemed to know where everything was located. Was she asking for trouble by allowing him in the house? Who was he? Why did she feel a connection to him? Sure, he was familiar with her home, it use to be his. But how did he know where the fuel for the generators were? And why did she have this feeling that he had a story to tell? Had she met this man before? Is that why she felt such a strong connection to him?

Glancing at the envelopes on the table, Alice knew she was going to have to do what was right. They were found hidden in the house and that made them personal; possibly a family heirloom. Was he going to be mad that she read them? Was he going to demand them back? She invited him in as he arrived at the back door. What if he became angry again?

There were too many questions and not enough answers. Maybe, if she played her cards right, she would get some answers tonight. He didn't appear to be in a runaway mood.

A warmth she couldn't explain surrounded her, calming her nerves, as if someone else was with her. She looked behind her, seeing nothing, no one. She continued to watch Jasper until he headed toward the back door. As he closed the distance between them, she moved back to the kitchen table. It was not cold outside by any means, but she watched him shiver as if shaking off a chill as he entered through the back door.

Sitting at the kitchen table, surveying the letters, the previous battle of questions swirled in her head. What was she getting herself into? She placed the heels of her hands over her eyes trying to ignore her internal battle and uncertainty.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jasper asked slowly as he took a seat, sounding bewildered.

"No. Not that I know of anyway," Alice said, pressing her hands deeper into her eyes.

"Are you okay, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"Yes . . . no . . . I don't know. Can I ask you a question?" Alice asked, hesitantly looking at the man sitting across from her with worry written all over his face. What did he have to worry about? Alice could tell he was hesitant, but when he nodded, giving her permission, she relaxed and he placed his hands on the table.

"Have we ever met?" Alice watched a flood of emotions run across his face. Was it panic, fear, or regret she saw rushing across his face? "Before . . . before two years ago," she qualified, feeling more uncertain about the trouble she might be getting into.

"I don't think so," Jasper replied sounding relieved. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, taking a seat at the table across from her.

"It's . . . It's just that I feel this connection to you. I don't get it," she said. "I even feel a connection to this house and its history . . . and . . . and I hate feeling confused, like this." She forced the words past her lips before her emotions could stuff them back into the darkest part of her mind. Alice knew every word she just spoke was laced with every emotion she was feeling: fear, doubt, anger, joy, warmth, tenderness, loneliness, excitement.

The silence between them lingered, filling with tension the longer it remained unbroken. Alice refused to look away. She would not let how fragile, mentally and emotionally, she felt show. She needed an answer, even though she was spent and raw. Alice knew he chose his words carefully when he broke the silence.

"It wouldn't matter how drunk I've been, if I'd met you before, I would remember."

There seemed to be a double meaning in his words that Alice was too afraid to ask about. Did he know she suffered from amnesia?

Breaking eye contact, she busied herself with the letters, trying to put them in order, as she fought against the anger that was beginning to build.

He'd said what he'd said, and she had a choice: take him at the value of his words and trust him, or not. She couldn't think of a single reason not to trust him other than the first night she met him. Alice knew he was watching her, maybe waiting for her to explain her question, but she couldn't do it.

"I think we got them all," Jasper said, breaking the silence as Alice shuffled papers.

"I hope so," she replied, dropping her shoulders in defeat. "But I guess I should probably give these back."

Alice allowed herself a brief look at Jasper. She didn't want to give the letters back, and she could have kicked herself for even voicing the thought. "They're written by Edward, Edward Masen." She blurted out, glad to have already read most of them.

"What?" Jasper replied sounding as confused as he looked. "Are you sure? Give them here," he said in a rush. Excitement filled his voice along with disbelief. "I always hoped there were letters but . . . I've tried to look growing up but I never found them," he explained further.

Reluctantly, Alice slid the stack of papers in his direction. Her head and heart were at war with each other, but she knew giving them back was the right thing to do. As much as she didn't want to give them up, she had to do what was right. Greedily, Jasper's hands hovered over the letters, but he stopped his actions.

"As much as I want those letters—they're not mine. I can't—" Jasper said, shaking his head side to side. He lowered his hands, pulling them back from the papers. "I've got to go." His chair scraped against the floor as he pushed away from the table. His body shivered while he moved toward the door. Again, his back was turned toward Alice. As nice as the view was, she didn't like it. The feelings his leaving caused made her feel unsettled.

"Can I come back again . . . to look at those letters?"

"Of course . . ." Alice said, dropping the rest of her sentence. Even though she was warm and felt a level of comfort, there was an icy edge around her tinged with fear. She didn't want him to leave and didn't understand why. Again, having more questions than answers was slowly driving her mad.

"And, Alice . . . I feel a connection too."

Jasper never turned back around before walking out the back door.

Alice felt as if part of her had been ripped away when the door closed behind him. With the loss of her memory, she had given up enough already. How much more was she going to lose before enough was enough?

* * *

 **AN: And you all thought it would be another year before a new chapter was posted... Well, I cannot blame you there. I wasn't sure myself, but my friends on facebook gave me a good kick in the ass and are helping me edit chapters. I feel so blessed to know such wonderful people. Storypainter, Sarcastic Bimbo, yummied, Enchantedbytwilight, Sunflowerfran, Alice's White rabbit, MrsPeaches, KellyBlack, and so so so many more!**

 **Read, Review, and Recommend! Love you all, see you next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane  
Chapter 14**

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 ****  
 **Edward September 22, 1910  
**  
 _By the end of the week, Edward was exhausted. To keep himself busy and his mind off Bella, he woke before dawn and worked until the sun was almost gone. Sometimes while walking back to the base camp, he would stop and sit high on a hill to watch the sun set. After the sunset, he would follow the familiar path, eat, and then sleep. He still couldn't shake the picture of Bella's ever-growing stomach from his mind. For all he knew, she could have been pregnant with his child. He wondered what Mr. Witherdale would think of that. An icy feeling ran down his back, and his body shook involuntarily. If James even suspected Bella had been with another man, her life would be forfeited._

 _He sat on the hill in the same manner he had in the previous week, except this time, the first time in a long time, he asked God, "Why?" Why had he fallen in love with a woman he had known from the beginning would never belong to him? Why had he let his guard down as he sat with her, teaching her to play his mother's piano? How had she wormed her way so deeply into his heart that he wasn't sure he could survive without her?_

 _His heart was heavy with questions. He felt it slide out of place and land open at his feet. He took a drink from the flask Garrett had given him days before, afraid that if he stood and returned to camp there would be nothing left of his heart, having been trodden on, destroyed from his own inability to protect it. He screamed her name at the moon until he was hoarse as if she lived there and not in the town he had run from. Tears ran down his face when she didn't answer back. Still too young to understand the consequences of his actions, he drank himself from numb to stupid until his frame slumped and laid on the hard rocks and moist dirt._

 _Edward opened his eyes and blinked, then blinked again. Disoriented, he sat up, his feet hitting the ground_

 _while his head spun in tandem with his stomach. Taking in his surroundings, he wondered how he made it back to his tent. He was never more thankful for it being a Sunday than he was in that moment. He tried to remember what happened the night before, but everything came back blank. He grabbed for the canteen sitting next to his bed. With unsteady hands, he gulped the warm liquid down quickly. The water splashed around his lips, escaping and temporarily staining his shirt a darker color._

 _"You alive, boy?" Garrett's familiar voice asked as he threw back the canvas door of the tent and entered._

 _Edward's throat was still too dry to give a proper reply. Was he alive? "Should death hurt this much?" he thought as he shook his head. "I am not sure alive is what I would call it," he finally managed to say. His throat still felt sore and dry as he lifted the canteen to his lips again and drank._

 _"At least you waited till a day off to fall apart," Garrett said, taking a seat on a thick log next to Edward. Edward's green eyes lifted to the older man, his brows furrowed in question._

 _"She must be one hell of a woman," Garrett said, shaking his head in disbelief. "We could hear you all the way down here. Took damn near all night to find you. Scared the hell out of the men when we couldn't hear you anymore, and then we_

 _found you passed out upon the cliffs."_

 _Shame took over Edward's expression, and he hid his face, looking at the ground before he answered._

 _"She was . . . is. She is," he sighed._

 **2011**

Jasper sat in his car, invisible from the house, long enough to see Alice looking out the front door. He could have stayed and talked to her forever, but he didn't trust himself. He felt so cold inside, and she seemed so warm. All he wanted to do was kiss her and then kiss her again. He lost sense of time until the lights flickered off inside the house one by one. He started the car and drove away while there was still enough noise coming from the generator to cover the sounds of his car.

For the next week, Jasper struggled to stay away from Alice – and the house. In one night, she had taken his messed up life and shaken it – hard. How had she taken over his thoughts so completely that he was unable to look at the world in the same way? Other than finding the letters, for which he had searched his entire adult life, she had done nothing heroic. There was nothing out of the ordinary about her, and she had looked at him with nothing but curiosity.

When he arrived at the motel, he pondered Bella's letters and wondered how much he could learn from reading Edward's. It wasn't as if he had learned much from the ones that he had, other than she had been forced to marry a man she didn't love, lost a child, and somehow escaped and all the while in love with a man that taught her about life, love, and music.

 _November 2, 1910_

 _To Thee, my Heart, Edward,_

 _A heart breaks in many ways. The pain of childbirth was greater than I had_ _been led to believe_ _. I suffered greatly, even as my midwife, Esme Cullen, tried to comfort me.  
Our love has found a will of its own, and to protect our love, I have paid a high price. The consequences of my actions rest in God's hands now._

 _I will bear no more children until God has made intercession for my sins. The only road left for me to cross is death_ _._ _I fear you will never be able to forgive me as I cannot forgive myself._

 _With all my Love,_

 _Bella_

If he were a normal person, he would have stayed, gotten to know her, and read the letters with her. He would have told her about his great grandmother's letters and the mysterious things that always seemed to happen around him growing up. But, he feared that, just like everyone else, she would think he was crazy, too. Lost in the thoughts swirling around his head, it surprised him when felt a familiar tug of warmth from the restaurant. He stood behind the swinging doors, silently looking through the small window. There she was.

Alice looked tired, he noted before Jessica slammed the door into him, pushing him backward. His eyes narrowed, zeroing in and glaring at her, as he rubbed his chest where the door had made contact.

"Maybe you should be working instead of staring at women, idiot," she said with disdain. She pushed past him. Although it was quite evident who he was looking at, Jessica didn't like the fact it wasn't her. So what if she was married? She still enjoyed being looked at.

"Watch yourself, Jessica. That was out of line. Why don't you take your sorry ass back to the other side of the door? Maybe Jasper was looking to make sure you were bussing your tables," Sam said. Sam didn't like Jessica, so any time he had the opportunity to run his mouth and piss her off more, he was all for it.

"Oh, look at me. I'm so pretty with my straight hair and big ass," Sam mocked. He pretended to twirl his hair around his finger and bounced his hips from side to side as he followed Jessica back toward the swinging doors. "I'm married, but I want everyone looking at me because I'm special," he continued and then laughed when she flipped him off.

"Shove it, Sam," Jessica retorted before returning to the dining room. Jessica could remember a time when Sam looked at her the same way that Jasper was looking at Alice. Jessica thought to herself that it wasn't that she didn't like Alice, it was just that Alice was now competition for the new guy.

"So, it's the dark-haired lady that has you all mopey this week? I should have known it was a woman. It always is," Sam said. He shook his head in disbelief when Jasper looked back at the swinging doors. "Come on. We have dishes to clean and floors to mop!"

After lunch was over and the kitchen was back in shape, the two men stood out back smoking. Sam's day was over, but Jasper was stuck there until closing.

"So, you like her?" Sam asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I liked you a lot better before you started asking questions," Jasper grumbled. There was a sarcastic tone in his voice that made Sam laugh.

"I tell you what. I'll work your shift tonight. Why don't you stop acting like a girl and go and fix things with that pretty little thing? You can make it up on Saturday," Sam suggested. "Your head's not even in the game . . . Go." Sam ordered after watching Jasper debate with himself.

Jasper thought about how tired Alice looked. She was already pale enough. Was she sick? Did the way he left affect her the way it had affected him? Maybe he could apologize and share his great grandmother's letters? Maybe the picture he had would help explain some of what he was going through?

The decision was taken out of his hands when Sam asked for his apron and returned into the diner. Slowly, Jasper walked to his car, debating on how to proceed. He already knew he needed to make things right between them, and he might as well do it now. Maybe then he would finally get some sleep.

* * *

 **a/n**

 **Hi everyone! What a week our story has had. So many new fav's, and follows. Sarcastic Binbo, Yummied, and EnchantedbyTwilight have also helped me immensely pulling the next few chapters together. THANK YOU LADIES!**

 **Now that ya'll have read the current chapter, I hope you take a few minutes to introduce yourself, share your thoughts (review) and then recommend LLOML to your friends. Tell me how you found LLOML, I would really like to know.**

 **Is anyone else sick of Jasper's pull/push thing he has going on? I know I am! He needs to man up. No worries, lots and lots of twists coming our way.**


	15. Chapter 15

Sensitive Content Warning:

* * *

 **Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 15**

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 _ **Isabella, September 11, 1910**_

 _Behind James's eyes, still pictures flashed, photos akin to a train wreck._ _Except_ _,_ _this train wreck was his life. As he threw back another drink, anger boiled inside him. He couldn't convince himself any longer_ _that there was nothing to his wife's relationship with_ _him—_ _that_ _—M_ _asen boy. Another photo blazed_ _into ashes with each blink of his eyes_ _. He witnessed the way she stood there in shock_ _,_ _looking at him, eating up his presence like a lioness stalking an innocent sheep as its next meal. There was a spark in her eyes_ _he hadn't noticed before_ _, making his stomach turn_ _._

 _The house could_ _have_ _burn down around his ears at that very moment and he wouldn't_ _have_ _care_ _d_ _._ _All he could see was her; all he could feel was his own anger and rage._

 _"I asked you a question," he screamed_ _, wheeling her around to face him_ _._ _He threw the crystal glass at the wall where the_ _ir_ _wedding_ _portrait_ _hung, shattering_ _it_ _into a million pieces_ _._ _His nostrils flared as he tried to control himself. What could quell his unraveling sanity?_

 _"Play," he demanded. "I said play," he shrieked again when Isabella didn't move. He stalked her to the piano and stood behind her_ _as she sat on the bench. She_ _turned the pages of sheet music that rest_ _ed_ _against the piano_ _, her body trembling_ _._

 _"Not that one," he growled_ _,_ _reaching_ _over_ _her and flipping to a page that held a piece she hadn't played_ _for_ _him_ _. He'd_ _heard her play_ _in the past_ _when she thought he wasn't there. "This one, Isabella! Play this one!"_

 _Tears fell_ _on_ _her shaking hands_ _hovering_ _above the keys of the piano before she placed her fingers on the_ _black and white pegs_ _and began to play._

" _Why had he selected this song_ _?" she thought._ _He stood so close she felt him behind her. She closed her eyes and began_ _playing, silently praying as well_ _. She felt like she was betraying Edward as her fingers pressed the keys for the first note._ _This was the first song Edward had played for her. This was the melody that caused her to fall in love with the_ _copper-_ _haired boy. This was their song._

 _The distraction of praying as music filled the air_ _proved to be a mistake. Somewhere in the middle of talking to God and hearing the music, Isabella disappeared into the bright corner of her mind she kept hidden_ _, a_ _place that was meant only for Edward. Her body started to move as she became lost in her own little world while the presence of her husband disappeared._

 _It was times like this, when she heard his music, that she knew her heart would love no other. It would always be him_ _;_ _it would always be Edward._

 _T_ _he music stopped_ _with a crash of notes. Isabella was brought back to the present_ _as pain_ _in her fingers_ _registered. Isabella_ _'_ _s hair was pulled, her head jerked back_ _like a rag doll,_ _and she was_ _dragged_ _away from the piano bench. Trying to keep her balance, she didn't have time to protect herself or her unborn child as James pushed her face first against the wall. Terrified, Isabella_ _felt_ _James shaking behind her as he snapped her head to the side, blood trickled from her nose._

 _"James, please," she begged. "You're hurting me."_

 _"You are carrying my child... and you love him?_ _That boy_ _, Edward_ _!_ _" James_ _scream_ _at her. There was no mistaking the anger and disbelief in his voice. James made it sound so ugly and dirty, even if it was the truth._

 _"I'm sorry, James. I'm so sorry," she sobbed through gasps of air_ _. She could barely breathe from the exertion of his weight_ _. For the first time since she left her father's house, Isabella feared for her life._

 _"Did you...did you share yourself with him the way you share yourself with me?" he asked_ _, his voice a veiled threat_ _._

 _"No, I swear, James. Edward and I never shared the kind of relationship you and I do," she_ _replied_ _, trailing off. It was the truth as much as it was a lie. Edward had never treated her like property. He had loved her body, nothing like the way James had taken her._ _Edward's love was the opposite of how James made her feel._

 _James tore at the buttons on the back of her dress_ _,_ _sending the tiny_ _pearls_ _across the floor_ _,_ _before he turned her around. Face to face, he looked for evidence of the lie, but all he could read was her fear as she wrapped her hands around her swollen stomach protectively._

 _With his eyes glued to her belly, James clarified himself completely._

 _"If this is not my son, Isabella, I will kill you myself."_

 _"It is James_ _._ _I swear it is. I have never been_ _unfaithful,_ _." she_ _replied convincingly_ _. It was another truth that was still a lie._

 _That night, in the midst of his rage, James proved that no other man would_ _own_ _her the way he had._

 **2011**

Alice waited but Jasper didn't come back. With a flashlight in hand, she turned off the lights and then the generator before entering the trailer for the night. A deep sense of loss trailed behind until she lay in bed, then it overwhelmed her. How could a man she'd only seen less than a hand-full of times, and never had a real conversation with, affect her like this?

She awoke, not feeling like herself, more tired and more alone than the day before. And the worst part was she couldn't explain why. She knew she had slept, but the way the bed was torn apart, she wasn't sure how well. As she began the chore of stripping and remaking the bed, she thought back to the events of the evening. Though she had no neighbors within earshot, she could have sworn she had been woken up by someone crying several times during the night. She was also sure the house was buttoned up tight on the outside, and she couldn't figure out why she was warm and cold at the same time.

Over the next several days, she wondered when Jasper would come back. He said he had felt the connection too, or was that her imagination seemed to be working overtime? Had she scared him away?

She stared at the ceiling as light began to filter through the curtains of the trailer. Murky images of people she didn't know vanished like a feather caught on the breeze. One minute they were crystal clear, the next, gone. She begged her mind to capture them, but it was too late. She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had no control over her feelings, him, the letters, or even the house. She had to let go, and let whatever was going to happen, happen.

Instead of dwelling on what she could not control, she thought of the things she could as she caressed the key like a good luck charm hanging around her neck. She and Seth finished running the new wiring. All that had to be done now was call the electrician to have it hooked up. If he could come today, she would never have to use the generator again. With the electricity on, she could move into the house. The confines of the trailer were starting to wear on her, making her feel closed in. Still caressing the key, she thought back to when she found the key and the small stack of letters. Ones she was still trying to decipher. The key was still a mystery. There were things she needed to do and lying in bed would not get them done.

Alice thought back to the day she had come across the house, inspecting every detail of it from the outside. But when she had gotten inside, she saw what the house could be. Now, the future of the house was tangible. Soon, when electricity was a resource, she could work at her leisure to bring her dreams to reality.

After a cup of coffee, she made a to-do-list, then called the electrician. God must be smiling because he would be in the area. He would be in the area around nine, maybe ten. It was her lucky day today. In only a few hours away and she would have electricity. Throwing her list away, she started packing up a few of her belongings. She was moving into the house—today. Living in the cramped confines of the trailer was over; she had had enough.

Before Alice lifted the box from the couch she had packed quickly, she laid the stack of letters on top, then headed for the house.

She hadn't brought much with her other than the bare necessities. She needed a bed and a nightstand and maybe a chair for the bedroom. After sitting a box of her things in a corner of the bedroom, she went outside. Staring at the items she had stored away in the shed, she wondered if Jasper would be upset that she had kept everything from the house.

Set in the back of the shed was an old wrought iron bed with the mattress that appeared to be in decent shape when it was stored. She wondered what size it was. Moving boxes and other pieces of furniture around, she unearthed it and dragged it outside. The bedframe was much older than most of the abandoned pieces, and she managed to find a small table that would work as a nightstand as well.

It wasn't until she almost fell over the rocking chair that she noticed how beautiful it was and instantly knew she wanted that piece in her bedroom as well. Even though the finish was old and needed to be refreshed, she could tell the chair had been well taken care of. It was still sturdy when she sat in it and it rocked easily, something she hadn't expected. The craftsmanship was as beautiful as the swan carved into the shoulder-board. She smiled to herself remember her dad calling her his beautiful swan the last time they spoke.

Gary, the electrician, arrived at nine-fifteen, just as she was moving the bed frame to the porch.

"Good morning, Ms. Brandon," he called as he walked to her aid. "Are you ready to have your electricity turned on?"

"Yes," she squealed almost dropping the sideboard she was struggling with. She smiled wide as the Gary helped her manhandle the piece onto the porch.

"You know, if you refinish this bedframe, it will be worth quite a bit to the right person," he said rubbing his hand the length of the headboard. The delicate curves gave it a distinctive female feel, but the tall posters gave it a strength that said masculine. It was the perfect combination of both. "This has to be almost a hundred years old, handcrafted too. This didn't come off any production line, that's for sure."

"What makes you say that, Gary?" Alice asked, looking at the pieces. Of course, she had felt the same way. Maybe he knew something she didn't.

"Well . . . see these welds here? They are definitely turn-of-the-century, and see here how it still has a rough edge to it. They didn't have the technology we do today. The cast is absolutely turn-of-the-century. But these posters are unquestionably the giveaway. I'm sure you noticed how heavy they are . . . They haven't made these within the last fifty years at least . . . This is This old metal." He stopped examining the piece and looked back up at Alice." I have a friend that could probably tell you more, if you're interested?"

"Right now, the only thing I am interested in is electricity," Alice said with humor. Gary smiled at her and nodded.

An hour later, Alice sat in the living room, looking at the ceiling light that was now on. The kitchen glowed too, along with the stairs. Making sure the electricity was real, Alice had turned on every light in the house. There was a warmth, a feeling of accomplishment that filled her. Then she basked in the light of her new bedroom until she fell into the darkness of sleep.

The next morning, Alice felt put out. Maybe it was the fact she was missing Seth's company, or she was getting a cold. She knew he was helping his father for the week and would be back soon, but that didn't feel right either. Shaking off the irrational feeling, she made a trek into town, too tired to work on a project that day. Maybe she just needed a little human interaction.

* * *

 **A/N: So, what did you think? I can imagine you all staring at me ready to kill me. It's part of the story and now you know Bella's side a little more. Alice is acting a little.. what do you call it... dramatic? Geez, that doesn't sound much like Alice, does it? Alice! lol. Jasper man! Step, the, Frack, Up! Already!**

 **I want to thank everyone for taking a little time to review. You have no idea how much your comments mean to me. I don't write for reviews but they are like skittles from heaven. A blessing.**

 **I want to give special thanks to, Storypainter, EnchantedbyTwilight, Yummy, Sarcastic Bimbo for all the wonderful advice and guidence they have given. Also Alice's White Rabbit, and Sunflower Fran. There are so many other people that have helped bring this story, THANK YOU!**

 **I cannot believe that LLOML has 97 people who have faved the story and 208 who put this story on alert. I am overwhelmed. I look forward to hearing from each of you as the story progesses. I love hearing your idea's and theories. Alice, Jasper, Bella and Edward enjoy them as well. (Yes, I know the characters are in my head and that they are not real outside of paper and pen, but to write this story they are very much alive).**

 **I just finished reading a classic story called Paper Cutouts by twistedcoincidence and the WIP I'm reading now is Edward Takes a Holiday by planetblue. Check them out, I think you will enjoy them as much as I have.**

 **Now that you are done reading, please, take a moment to leave a review and introduce yourself , share your thoughts about the chapter or story, and then tell a friend about it (recommend). I would also enjoy knowing how you found or were introduced to journey of Lost Loves of Meadow Lane.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 16**

 _ **Edward September 22, 1910 Garrett**_

 _Garrett quietly watched the young man in front of him. He could only imagine what it took to turn Edward into this aged shell of a man compared to the week prior. Since Edward's return, there had been no bounce in his step or sparkle in his eye. The only answer he could come up with was a woman. Only a women had the power to shatter a man so completely. That is why he had never fallen in love and preferred his lonely existence deep within the tree line._

 _"They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder," Garrett said. He felt like he was in over his head. He knew nothing about love. From the seething look Edward gave him in return, he knew he was right. "I take it you are going to have to figure out a way to live without her?" he asked. He could feel a small crack in his rough exterior for the young man. Garrett knew nothing about the young woman, and he wondered if it was as hard for her as it was for his young protegee. Anger crawled through Garrett when Edward refused to face or speak him. He let his feelings stew for a minute, maybe more, before he unleashed on the unsuspecting man. "Coward," he roared, then left Edward alone with his thoughts._

 _Coward . . . coward? Edward wasn't a coward by any means. The only reason he left home was the fear that filled his mother's eyes and a burning desire to begin building a future for his soon to be wife, though he had never officially asked Bella if she would marry him. That thought tore at him. It was then that he realized he truly was a coward. He never asked her for her hand. He never let her know he wanted more. He left her behind after taking her innocence and sharing his own. And now . . . now he was too late to make that future a reality._

 _He may not have been able to create the life he dreamed of with Bella, but that didn't mean he had to put those dreams to death. Had it only been a week since he had seen her fully developed into womanhood? Since he saw her rounding stomach? The child she carried should have been his-would have been his if he had taken her with him when he left. He failed the woman he loved once, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice._

 _In a moment of decision, Edward pulled on his boots and swung his suspenders around his shoulders. Today he would start to build a future—without her._

* * *

 **2011**

Jasper wondered if she would talk to him after the way he'd walked out last time he'd been to the house, but he was too exhausted to care. The sleepless nights he had been experiencing since then were taking their toll. He wondered what her reaction would be if he admitted he left because he wanted to kiss her, nothing more, just kiss her. He hadn't felt like kissing anyone since he left home, and the urge had never been as strong as it was that night. It wasn't like someone would have had to force him to kiss her, but he felt overwhelmed, almost like someone was trying to control him.

Alice was getting out of her truck when he pulled up to the house. The look she gave him didn't build his confidence when he turned off the car. He stared her in the eyes as he resolved himself to make the next move and grabbed his letters from the passenger seat.

"What do you want this time?" she asked. The anger that filled her voice was like a Chinese gong being hammered for war.

Jasper knew she had every right to be mad as he walked past the fence through the gate. "To make up for the other day . . . again."

"Again," she replied dryly. "Don't waste your time or mine."

Jasper widened his gait and met her at the bottom of the porch.

"I bear gifts this time," he offered, holding up his package of letters. He almost smiled at the twinkle that brought life back into the woman before him. She was a mysterious creature that was leading him by an invisible leash.

"Fine! But if you walk out this time, don't come back. Your mood swings are giving me whiplash," Alice stated before walking up the three stairs to the front door. She pulled out the key from her pocket and unlocked the door before stepping inside and turning on the lights. Leaving the front door ajar, Alice moved toward the kitchen. "And you're brought gifts before."

Jasper realized what was different when the porch light lit up. There was no sound coming from the generator. He paused at the front door waiting for an invite but moved forward after none was given, closing the door behind him. He stood awkwardly in the living room trying to figure out where to begin when Alice's voice snapped him from his haze.

"Are you going to help or not?" she asked, gesturing to a couple of bags on the kitchen table.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, joining her quickly. "So," they started in unison. Alice laughed at how ridiculous the awkwardness between them seemed.

"What gifts do you bear this time?" she asked as a warmth wrapped around her while placing the last can of vegetables in the cabinet. She was starting to get used to these explainable rushes of feelings. It was as if someone, or something, was hugging her from afar, and it always seemed more intense when he was around. Her brows pulled in at the thought.

"Well," Jasper faltered, "Yesterday, see'ng as you enjoy old letters, I thought I could share the ones from my great-grandmother with you." Jasper's heartbeat quickened when Alice turned to him with a surprised smile and wide eyes.

"Your great-grandmother?" Alice asked with raised brows and a shocked expression.

"I believe you found the ones from my great grandfather during your remodel. You seemed interested in them last time . . . "he trailed off, trying to figure out how to make his next statement not sound like he was being an ass.

"Edward Masen was your great-grandfather? The one that built this house?"

Jasper nodded instead of answering out loud. Alice offered him a cup of coffee and a seat in the living room. Jasper hesitated to sit next to her, but submitted when Alice patted the seat. Jasper explained that she was from Italy, a mail-order bride. He had to read the letters out loud because he hadn't translated them in writing, which Alice seemed to enjoy. As he read, her face took on a far-away look. He wondered if she heard a single word as he read the first letter.

 _September 12, 1910_

 _To Thee, my Heart, Edward,_

 _I beg of you to forgive me for the shame I have brought upon you and your mother. This has never been my intention._

 _I beg of you to stay away from me and this town as James has found out about us as a result of my own weakness. He is a jealous man, and I know not what extremes he would go to protect what he believes is his. I cannot bear the thought of what he may do if he were to see you again. I would be unable to continue in this life knowing your death was my fault._

 _I pray that the Lord keeps you safe until we meet again in this life or the next._

 _With all my Love,_

 _Bella_

When Jasper finished, he thought Alice had fallen asleep, which instilled a feeling of contentment deep down. It had been a long time since anyone had fallen asleep in his presence, not since his mother. He was overcome with the urge to brush a stray piece of hair away from her face. He startled when he heard her speak.

"I know this may sound weird, but it all sounds so romantic," Alice began. "Do you believe she loved him as much as he loved her?"

"I'm not sure it was as romantic as much as tragic. My family doesn't seem to have a great track record when it comes to love."

"How so?" Alice asked, dreamily. She felt so comfortable in his presence that she was slowly slipping away. His voice was getting farther and farther away until it was only a whisper.

Jasper shared about how his grandfather disappeared and was pronounced MIA, leaving his grandmother to raise his mother alone and how even his mother thought she had found true love until his father left them never to be heard from again. He suspected that it had been much the same for Edward and Bella, considering she was married to another man. He had been so focused on keeping the details in order he hadn't noticed the building pressure next to him as Alice leaned closer and closer until he was supporting her weight. The weird thing was Jasper didn't mind as he watched her closely while she slept.

* * *

 **A/N Hi everyone! Well, I have been busy trying to get you another chapter before classes begin (Monday) and with the help of some very wonderful people, WE DID IT! Thank you, Sarcastic Bimbo, Yummy, and EnchantedbyTwilight. Between these ladies and the women who were tourtured while reading the rough draft, TwiAddictAnne and pudget12. Thank you Sunflower fran for pimping the story on your facebook group. It means so much that you are enjoying the story as well.**

 **There have been so many new adds, favs and follows. I hope you all stick with me until the end. It will be a wonderful journey. For those of you that do not like WIPs and wait for it to complete, I understand and will do my best to keep working on the chapters with at least monthly updates. Once classes start RL takes over.**

 **I don't know about you guys, but I am loving Jasper. So many layers. He's come a long way since he met the judge, don't you agree? Cowedward. Oh isn't he mad about that** **. These letters leave me... wanting? emotional? Heartbroken? all of the above.**

 **I hope everyone pimps out the story to their friends after reading a chapter. I look forward to reading your reviews.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 17**

 _Isabella, September 12, 1910 Resolved_

 _Before the sun rose the next morning, Bella knew she couldn't live the way she had been. This, what she and James had, was not love, nor was it a marriage. She only had to figure out what she was going to do. She had already come to the resolve that she would not let her child be raised by a man that would treat his wife the way James' had treated her, regardless of how he felt. She didn't love him; she loved Edward. She shook with fear as the door creaked. She was afraid that James had returned, so she feigned sleep._

 _"Good Morning, princess," Victoria crooned in her ear as she stroked Bella's hair. "I know you're not asleep. And I know what a beautiful night you had with James. It felt good didn't it? Isn't marriage nice? Now you know what James is really like."_

 _Bella refused to acknowledge the woman and gripped the sheets around her tighter._

 _"That's a good girl," she mocked. "I'll take care of everything. I'll tell James you're too exhausted to come down for breakfast."_

 _Bella let the words that sounded like a threat roll around in her head as she listened to Victoria going through her drawers. She was sure Victoria was setting out her clothes for the day just as she did every morning._

 _"No. I'll get dressed and be right down," Isabella said as she rolled over. Confused because Victoria had not set out her clothes, her eyes widened. Victoria's eyes locked with hers, and an evil smirk spread across her face._

 _"Too late, princess," she said, then laughed. Her arms were laden with dresses and under garments. "You may get these back eventually."_

 _The door wasn't quite shut. Isabella could hear Victoria in the hall. Her voice filled with joy as she spoke. "Yes, James, she is awake."_

 _"Isabella," James greeted in a tight voice as he crossed the threshold of her bedroom._

 _Isabella's muscles trembled as she looked at James. If she could grip the sheets any tighter around her frame, they would have cut into her skin. She knew she had to acknowledge him, but never again would she think of him as James, her husband. She would figure a way out, a plan, soon. If she hadn't known any different, she would have thought he looked heartbroken as he stared at her. She knew that she was uncomfortable physically, and hurt, but she had no clue until she looked down at her arms. Her olive skin was covered in dark spots, bruises from where he held her too tight. No, there would be no future for them as long as she had the will to survive. Her unborn child gave her the courage to push back. She would pick a time. When she did push back, he would never see it coming. Isabella was done being his victim. She would leave that job to Victoria._

 _"Please, Isabella, put this on and join me in the dining room," he said with a hint of exasperation as he absorbed the sight of her. He missed seeing the fire in her eyes as she threw back the bedding and crawled from the bed. He didn't see the determined look on her face when she pulled the nightgown over her head. All he saw was Isabella's body covered in the bruises that he put there._

 _James knew what kind of man he was; he never denied that he was possessive, demanding, and overbearing. But until that moment, he had never seen himself as a monster, and he didn't know when she_ _had wormed her way past his unfeeling heart._

 _Busy dressing, Isabella didn't see the look of disgust and torment on her husband's face. She kept her back to him as she crossed the room and left him standing there, shocked._

 _Once seated at the table for breakfast, he refused to make eye contact with his wife. He was lost and horrified that his reaction had marred her beautiful skin. She was so young and innocent, unlike his gypsy vamp, Victoria._

 _James never saw the look she gave him that dared him to deny he was a monster and had risked the life of her child. In her mind, he would never be her child's father._

 _"I will be traveling to New York for the next few months and then back to Biloxi. Victoria will stay here with you until I have need of her, and I will return as soon as I can."_

 _Neither James nor Isabella saw the look of delight on Victoria's face. She was hidden behind the service door to the kitchen, listening in on their conversation. His declaration proved to Victoria what she always knew. She was James' favorite._

 **2011**

Alice could feel it in her bones that she had been asleep for a long time. Her body was stiff and ached from laying in the same position. She tried to stretch but didn't have the room to move. She rubbed her eyes, then tried to crawl off the couch again.

"Uh," Jasper moaned as weight pressed against his chest and along his thigh.

Alarm hit and then awareness as Alice rolled over. She was greeted with light blue eyes, wide open with a shocked and pained expression. She knew she probably shared the same look of shock as she continued to push away. She gulped hard when Jasper winced. Looking between their bodies, she blushed. Her body was in the right place, but her knee was the cause of Jasper's problem.

"I'm so, so sorry..." she said, moving away quickly.

"Its fine," Jasper groaned unconvincingly. Alice giggled and watched him open one eye with a raised eyebrow to look at her. "Are you done moving yet?"

"Coffee?" Alice questioned, shaking her head and trying not to laugh. Jasper closed his eyes and she wondered what he was thinking. She couldn't remember sleeping that well in a long while.

"Is that my only choice?"

"It is for now," Alice chuckled as she walked away, heading for the kitchen.

She stretched while waiting for the coffee pot to fill with water. The deep breath she took kept her from laughing out right when she heard another groan from behind her. She poured the water into the coffee maker and added a filter and coffee. After pressing the start button, she made her way to the stairs and then to the bathroom.

By the time she returned downstairs, Jasper was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee and had one sitting across the table ready for her. Again, there was that just-seen-a-ghost look twisting his features as she approached. Alice had to ask, "Why are you staring at me like that? That's the same way you looked at me from the back of that cop car."

Watching his eyes dart around the table, his expression changed, showing Jasper was seriously contemplating his answer. Her internal debate was whether she was going to hear the truth or a fabrication.

"Well, it's sorta hard to explain without sounding like I'm off my rocker. One, I feel like I have known you all my life, but until I was arrested, I'd never laid eyes on you. Two, you're the spitting image of my grandmother, and I can't explain why." Jasper said, placing his mug on the table and nervously scratching behind his ear. "I have always thought it was weird that I didn't have my great-grandmother's coloring, but I guess that is my grandfather's fault. But it is even weirder knowing someone who isn't related—does. And that just sounds crazy," he tried to explain. "And don't get me wrong here. I know I belong to this family, and yes, I resemble my parents, even my grandmother, just not my great grandparents, and now, I'm sitting in the house that I grew up in with someone who does. Maybe it's this house or something. I don't know."

Alice couldn't miss the exasperation in his voice. Had she been living in a different house, she might have thought he was nuts too, but she understood what he was saying on some level. She had experienced what he was talking about. Maybe it was the house, but she had felt drawn to it none the less.

"You know what I think?" she asked and then continued before he could answer. "This is too deep of a conversation to have before breakfast."

Jasper held back a full smile at her comment and captured her attention with his eyes. He watched as she sat there, frozen.

"What?" she asked, trying to hide from the intensity of his stare. It was a shiver that ran along her arms that had brought her out of her haze and feeling warm and cold at the same time.

"Where did you just go?" Jasper asked with a pointed look.

"Nowhere," she replied quickly, too quickly. She didn't want to explain how she felt a presence even when she was alone and the comfort that came along with it.

"Not physically. Where did you go in that head of yours?" The question made her feel uncomfortable, so she changed the subject and hoped he would go along with it.

"So, tell me about your mom, Jasper." She could feel the heat in her face. Why did she like saying his name so much?

For the next few hours, the couple fell into a comfortable companionship. They talked about growing up in Gulfport, playing sports in high school, and the need Jasper felt to get away and explore the world. When Alice collected the dishes and filled the sink with water after cooking breakfast, Jasper grabbed a towel and stood next to her.

"Thank you," Alice said, smiling up at him.

"Anytime," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I always helped my mom. It just felt natural to do."

Alice listened as he talked about some of the friends he made in the military and about the different places he had been before turning the conversation in her direction.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I guess my life was like everyone else's," she said nervously. She had not expected to have to share her story, and she didn't want to, but she tried. "My parents where high school sweethearts. They got married when Dad was in College. Mom gave birth to my brother Emmett and then me," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. She wouldn't look at Jasper as she talked. She knew the questions would be asked eventually; she just wasn't ready for them. She was enjoying his company too much. "If you were in the service for six years, that means you've been out for the what, two?" It was a nice try, changing the subject, but when she looked at Jasper she knew it hadn't worked. If anything, it had made things awkward between them again.

"I guess it would be my turn to share. Would you like to read one of the letters Edward wrote?" Alice asked, trying to balance her reluctance of sharing her past.

"I would like that. I'll finish drying the dishes, and I will meet you in the living room," Jasper suggested as he picked up another dish to dry.

* * *

 **Suprise, suprise, suprise!**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I will try to work on the edits for the next one soon, but until school is out, no promises. Sorry I don't have much to say right now, my head is up a textbooks ass for at least the next, what, 10 weeks...**

 **Anyway, Hope you guys enjoyed Jasper's (cough cough) discomfort *snickergiggles***

 **See you soon!**

 **oh, and one last thing. Please remember that Bella and Edward's story takes place in the early 1900's. Women did not divorce their husbands and had few rights. Nor did they send letters to their lover. Forget the fact that she's writing them in the first place. And it was inappropriate for a man to chase after a married women back in those days.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 18

 _Edward September 24, 1910_

 _When Garret returned to camp, he found the tent empty of Edward's belongings. Left behind on Edward's cot was one item that belonged to him—his flask and on the table laid a photo. Garrett felt a deep sadness as he retrieved it and looked at the two women staring back at him. He knew, in that moment, his young friend was gone._

 _The morning Edward left the tent, he left his work, his friends, and his past along with a non-existent future with the flask Garrett had given him eight days prior. Other than his clothes and the bible his mother had given him for his thirteenth birthday, everything had been left behind._

 _Edward had purchased land months ago after saving every penny he could. With what he continued to save, all he needed was steady work, and he could build the house he had planned all along._

Mississippi was cold during the winter time, but even a homeless man could survive. And that's what Edward did; he survived the winter working in town while he cleared the land. When spring came, the tender skin of youth had weathered and thickened. Work had widened and strengthened his back and formed callouses on the palms of his hand. His hair had grown longer, and he sported a full beard. No one that had known him would have recognized him, even his own mother.

 _October 15, 1910_

 _Another tree crashed to the ground and was trimmed to a specific length before being dragged to the spot with the rest of the logs. The sun's light and warmth dried the logs as they sat until they were cured and ready to be debarked. Then the logs were measured again. Edward worked like a machine, cold and unfeeling. He worked, ate and only because it was necessary, slept._

 _Living numb was easy, but his sleep was full of broken dreams and nightmares. His dreams were of a woman who had lost the innocence and sparkle in her depth-filled eyes and her olive skin had grayed and taken an ashy looking tone. Her frame was like a building being eaten away from age. His nightmares were of a child that killed her when he, an alien life form, was born._

 _From the day he had met Bella, she had been a ray of sunshine. The last time he had seen her, she appeared to be a dark rain cloud. Until that time, he had never seen her eyes filled with fear. Her presence had never made him feel so cold. Everything he had seen and read in her body language chilled him to the bone. As beautiful as she still was, she was not the same woman he had fallen in love with. She was not the same woman he had given his heart to. The new question was if she wasn't his Bella . . . who was she and where was his heart?_

2011

After walking out of the kitchen without a word, Jasper sat on the swing on the back deck. Maybe he shouldn't have walked away from Alice the way he had, but at least he hadn't bolted and left this time. He was confused and irritated. He had shared childhood memories with her, memories right up until two years ago even. Sure, he hadn't shared everything, they were just getting to know each other, but he was sharing, and talking about himself was something he had learned not to do. And what was she doing? Avoiding. He was sure she hadn't spent time in jail. Hell, she probably hadn't done anything to be ashamed of in her entire life. She had both of her parents and a brother. Why didn't she want to talk about them? She didn't have to share anything embarrassing or painful. Or was she uncomfortable about waking up next to him?

He felt the movement of the swing when Alice sat next to him even though he was lost in thought, looking at the tree line.

"I'm sorry," Alice said, breaking his thought process. "There's not a lot I can tell you."

Jasper's brows pulled together in confusion. She was speaking in riddles.

"Everything prior to two years ago is what people have told me . . . not actual memories," she explained.

Jasper watched her wring her hands together and he waited. Did she mean what it sounded like? That she didn't have memories of growing up?

"I woke up two years ago with amnesia," she stated, throwing the information out there. Her face showed her nervousness.

"What, just like that? You woke up and nothing . . . Were you in an accident or something?" Jasper's brain locked in on the time frame. It wasn't possible, was it? Alice couldn't be the woman involved in the hit and run that had sent him to prison.

"Yes, but not just like that," Alice answered, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't remember being in the hospital. I remember waking up at home and my parents telling me I was in a car accident, but I don't anything before waking up at home."

He sat there stunned and let her words sink in. He wondered what he would do if it were him. Probably praise God because he wouldn't have to remember the last two years of his life or his friend, Specialist Royce King, or his wife, Rosalie. He shook the thoughts of his friend from his mind.

"It was weird at home. All these people knew so much about me, but it felt like I was someone else. The worst thing was learning I was engaged to a man I didn't know. I felt bad, but I have no idea who he was. I know it hurt him when I broke our, quote, unquote, engagement, but I didn't know him. He kept trying to share our past with me, and I just couldn't take it anymore."

"Did you know my great grandparents are buried not far past the tree line?" He took one look at Alice and smiled inside at the relief visible in her expression and a giggle she tried to hide. "I like it when you smile and laugh," he said without thinking, caught up in the moment.

"Yes. I discovered the grave sites a while back," she replied, blushing and shifting her position to look in the direction of the graveyard. "Do you know why only Mr. Masen's gravestone has his name and dates?" she asked, remembering her brief visit there.

"No, I don't. I always thought about having the engraver come out and add them someday, though." For one brief moment, Jasper wondered if that were a possibility now that he was no longer the owner.

"I think that would be wonderful."

Jasper grinned at her response. It was as if she could read his mind.

"Are you ready for me to read another letter before I have to go to work?" Jasper asked though he was reluctant to move. He was enjoying her company and her wit. The last thing he wanted to do was leave.

"Yah, why not," Alice mumbled.

Jasper opened another letter and read it to Alice. The lilt of his voice never wavered as he spoke.

 _September 13, 1910_

 _To Thee my Heart, Edward,_

 _If pure resolve could bring us together, I would be in your arms before the hands of the clock could toll another minute against us. I would return to the girl I was with you, free from this existence. The seconds away from you are stolen minutes of my life._

 _I watch for an open door that will lead me back to you. I wait for them to be distracted, so I may go unnoticed. I listen for a single word of you, so I know what direction to run upon my first opportunity._

 _With all my heart,_

 _Bella_

"It sounds like her life was torture without him. Can you imagine wanting to be free from the life you're living so badly that you would take any opportunity that was given to you?" Alice asked, looking at him.

"Yes, I can imagine," he replied without turning his head. "I'd best be going, or Sam will have my hide."

"Will you come back?"

"If you would like me to. . . Tomorrow night?"

"Sure," she answered, grinning widely. "That will give me time to unpack a little more now that I have officially moved in."

Jasper stood and stretched before starting to walk towards the side of the house.

"Wait. . . let me walk you out this time," Alice said as she nearly fell out of the swing trying to move quicker. Jasper wanted to shake his head at how this dark haired woman affected him. He had never felt anything quite like it. There was a natural desire to protect her—the complete opposite of when they had met.

Alice stood behind the brick wall that was still missing sections of wrought iron as Jasper walked around to his boat of a car. Ironically, his car was an old police car that he had bought at auction for two hundred dollars after being released from prison. The steel cage that divided the front and back seat was still in place, but the radio system and the flashing lights had been removed.

Jasper wondered what was going through her mind as he drove away. His eyes danced between the road in front of him and the rear view mirror until she faded from view.

When Jasper finally arrived at work, Sam was waiting, and he didn't look happy.

"It's about time," he barked as Jasper approached. His irritation was evident.

"Whoa, man. I'm not that late," Jasper replied, holding his hands up in front of him.

"You're not late. I just need to get away from that sorry excuse of a human being, Jessica. Are you ready to take over? Because I have to get out of here before I do something I might not immediately regret," Sam grumbled as he untied his apron and threw it at Jasper.

"Fine. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow. I have breakfast, right?"

"Yeah, you do. Oh, before I forget... how was your night? I didn't see that beast parked at the hotel," Sam said, pointing at the car.

Jasper smiled as he hung the apron around his neck and headed towards the back door. "Interesting," he said without looking back.

* * *

 **Hi, Everyone! So, glad that you're still here with me. Yes, I have made it through another semester and am back for a couple of weeks. Some awesome women have, once again, come to the rescue and helped me pull a few more chapters together. Everyone, please, give Sarcastic Bimbo, EnchantedbyTwilight, and Yummy a round of applause for their remarkable work beating these chapters into submission! Without these women and their ability with grammar, we wouldn't be reading this story.**

 **Lots of love and pain in this chapter. What are you ladies and gents thinking? Can't wait to hear your thoughts and feelings about this one. Don't forget to share this story with your friends if you feel it's worthy of their time. _Oh! And don't let me forget, Lost Loves of Meadow Lane was nominated for the Drop Everything Award on TwificFandom Awards! Thank you whoever_ nommed** _ **this little baby here, it was awesome to drop in and receive the news.**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 19

 _Isabella October 30, 1910_

 _Isabella was closer to eight months now rather than seven. Her back ached and had for a while but she said nothing. She was finding it harder and harder to move around the house, let alone around town. When she did step out, Victoria was her constant companion, which caused people to glare. The fact that she was forced to wear nothing but red dresses did not help matters. Victoria had no trouble finding ways to make sure Isabella remembered exactly why, too. But Isabella held her head high as she thought of ways she could escape._

 _James had been gone for several weeks, or was it closer to a month he'd been away? It didn't matter because she didn't care anymore. The only thing she cared about besides Riley was the child growing inside of her every day. Life would be tolerable if she could get rid of Victoria, but to do anything would risk her unborn child. Victoria didn't care about anything, including her son. It was hard for her to imagine anyone loving Victoria by the way she manipulated and controlled everyone. James may not have seen the vicious streak in Victoria, but since he had been gone, she had._

 _Riley wasn't running a fever, but he hadn't felt well for weeks - almost as long as her back had been hurting. She wondered if it had to do with James being gone. It wasn't until the young boy started throwing up she became nervous. Surprisingly, Victoria had even encouraged her to take care of him while she ran errands._

 _The constant taunts from Victoria led Isabella to believe that maybe James could be a better person if he shook the viper from his midst. But then again, he was the one that had brought the snake into his life. How their son Riley had managed to stay so innocent, was a miracle in itself._

 _In the evening, before dinner was served, Isabella would sit on the couch and try to read to him. Riley would help her sound out words or correct her pronunciations as only a child could._

 _"Isabella, have you decided on a name for your baby?" Riley asked as she rested the book across her belly._

 _"No, Riley, not yet but as soon as James returns I think we will." she replied._

 _"Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?"_

 _"James is hoping for a boy." For the child's sake, she hoped it was a boy. Worry filled her eyes. "Why so many questions tonight?" she asked, brushing the hair from his face._

 _Riley looked around making sure his mother was not within earshot before he spoke. "I think the baby is going to come soon, before my father returns. My mother is leaving in a few days. She's going to Biloxi to see him."_

 _Before either could speak again, Isabella heard the telltale creaking of the floorboards informing her that Victoria was coming. She picked up the book and began to read again. Entering the room, Victoria laughed as she did whenever she found Riley and her together._

 _"Dinner time," Victoria said as she thought of how much longer Isabella was going to be around. She already put her plan into action on a small scale as not to hurt James's child. Soon, very soon, once the baby was born, Isabella would be gone forever. It wasn't as if she hadn't done the exact same thing before since she met James, almost ten years ago._

 _Before taking a bite of her meal, Isabella stopped, bowed her head, and prayed. Silently, she hoped for Edward and the safety of her child. Vocally, she prayed for James, Victoria, and Riley, while Victoria glared and her son clasped his hands under the table unnoticed._

 _Once dinner was consumed, Victoria raised her voice. "James has returned from New York. I am meeting him in Biloxi when the taxi arrives tonight," she announced, then rose and moved to stand next to Isabella._

 _Leaning over and whispering in her ear, Victoria said, "And if you disappear while James and I are gone, be sure, Riley will pay the price."_

2011

Alice watched his black car, looking more like a box than a car, disappear before returning to the house. Blowing out a breath she ignored the sense of loneliness the house suddenly had. Having been so comfortable in Jasper's presence, she didn't understand the feelings she was having at his departure. Trudging up the front steps, she decided to call her dad; it had been a few days since she spoke to him after all. She wandered upstairs to get her phone and then returned to the living room, sitting on the coach. She flipped the phone in her hands, debating, while her feet rested on the edge of the coffee table.

She wondered how much, if anything, she should tell her dad. _Well, Dad, I finally met the old owner of the house . . . and . . . oh . . . by the way, he was arrested after breaking in the other day, too . . ._ Yeah, that was going to go over like a lead brick _. Dad, what if I told you I was attracted to him. . . Yes, he has a job . . . No, I don't know what he does. Well, I've woken up in his arms already._ At least if she talked to her brother, Emmett, _s_ he could hear his playful teasing, _Alice and Jasper sitting in a tree,_ which resigned her to keeping quiet for the time being.

Startled, Alice dropped the phone when it started ringing. Laughing hysterically, she retrieved it from where it had slid under the table. "Hello," she said without looking to see who called. With her father's standard greeting, _how's my little angel_ , Alice smiled wide thinking about her inner monolog just seconds prior. She plopped herself down the length of the couch and hung her feet over the back.

"I was just going to call you, Dad. How is everyone?" she lied.

Once her dad informed her of everyone's wellbeing, they talked about how the house was coming. Her Dad laughed when she told him about the letters she had found and that she had found a graveyard on the property too. She forced herself to ask why he found it so funny when he muffled a laugh by saying only you, MA, only you.

MA was one of her Dad's nicknames for her but one he didn't use often. MA, Mary Alice, and My Angel were all synonymous-interchangeable. Her father's answer made her feel warm inside and out.

"Mary Alice, only you would find a house that had history coupled with a little mystery. You always loved both. So how long before you start digging to find out who wrote the letters?"

Even if she didn't know herself very well, her father did better than anyone.

"I don't know, Dad. But I met the owner who shared a few of his great-grandmother's letters with me. They seemed so sad. And he also told me that he had always hoped to have an engraver come out and finish marking the gravestones." They continued to talk when Alice started feeling suspicious of why her dad had really called. "Dad, what's going on?" she asked. She heard him reply about how perceptive she was before explaining that her brother Emmett had been placed on administrative leave for a few days and decided to come her way for a visit.

"When is he going to get here?" she asked. "Tomorrow at noon . . . Thanks for the heads up dad. I guess I know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow . . . grocery shopping." They laughed together for a few more minutes as the conversation wound down before ending the call. Alice looked at the time and decided that if she hurried, she could get to town, buy groceries, and return home before it got too late. If she was really, really, lucky, she could even get other essential supplies. There was a lot to do with very little time.

By the time she returned home it was dark. She flipped the light switch after unlocking the door and was filled with excitement as light brought the entry and living room to life. With a childlike skip, she dropped the first bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. Several trips later, she quickly put everything away while making a mental list of chores to do in the morning. She almost groaned out loud remembering she didn't have a bed for the other bedroom or guest room yet. Then, with a shrug, she decided that her brother could sleep in the camper.

The next morning, Alice drank her coffee filled with excitement as she thought about her brother. She hadn't seen him face-to-face in almost a year. The last time they had spoken was on the phone when he supported her decision to move out of her parents' home and away from Biloxi, as long as it wasn't too far from home. She couldn't wait to show her brother how much she had accomplished on the house. She was sure he would be proud. And she couldn't wait to introduce him to Seth.

She was taking a bite of her toast when a knock sounded on the door. She chewed and swallowed as she walked to the door before calling out, "Who's there?"

"Gulfport Police Department, Ma'am," a deep voice said from the other side of the door.

Dropping her shoulders, Alice wondered if this had anything to do with Jasper.

"I already told you, I'm not pressing charges," she replied and reluctantly opened the door.

"Freeze!" a more familiar voice boomed.

Alice jumped, and then started screaming as she tackled her overstuffed teddy bear of a brother, who was obviously early.

"You are under arrest for not fixing me some bacon," Emmett joked as he hugged his sister and awkwardly dragged her back into the house.

"I was saving the bacon for lunch, you ass!" Taking Emmett's hand, she dragged him the rest of the way into the kitchen, talking a mile a minute.

"Whoa, Sis, slow down," Emmet said, moving his hands up and down. "I have one question. What did you mean when you said, 'I already told you, I'm not pressing charges'?" Emmett asked, bringing, Alice up short. He raised a brow at her when she looked at him. Her expression was full of guilt.

* * *

 **A/N Welcome Everyone! So many new names (faces). Thank you Shouldbecleaning for rec'ing LLOML. I am looking forward to reading your new story, The Last House on Blackberry Lane.**

 **It is such a wonderful time to be part of the fandom, with so many great authors and stories going on. I wish I had the time to read them all!**

 **So, what do you all think about Emmett? Riley? Victoria? I bet you all have a lot of questions. Let's here them, and then tell your friends about the Lost Loves of Meadow Lane.**

 **A big round of applause needs to go out to Sarcastic Bimbo, EnchantedbyTwilight, and Yummy for all their fantastic work bring another chapter to a readable state!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 20**

 _Edward December 25, 1910_

 _There was an ache deep inside that Edward ignored as he walked through the front door. It had taken his mother mere days to decorate and remind him that Christmas was upon them. He struggled to push the pain in his chest away as he looked at the simple decorated tree his mother had picked out the day she arrived, and he had cut down. His mother watched him with sad eyes from the kitchen as she poured him some hot tea even though she knew he preferred coffee._

 _"Dinner will be ready soon. We're just waiting on the turkey to finish," she said, looking back at the cast iron stove she was still struggling to temper because it wasn't the same stove she was used to._

 _"After dinner, I will take you into town. The local church there is having a special service to celebrate."_

 _Edward knew his mother loved this time of year. So had he once upon a time, but not now. He still struggled with his own anger toward God and himself for giving him the knowledge of love he would never have again._

 _After finishing a quiet dinner and laden under a pile of blankets, Edward and Elizabeth kept warm as her son drove to town in his old buggy to town. She was looking forward to Christmas Eve services at church._

 _After arriving at the church, In a vain attempt, Elizabeth tried to coax Edward to join her,. a vain attempt. His simple reply, 'not this year, mother,' left her defeated. She knew why he hurt, and if she could have done anything about it, she would have. To see her son in such pain was hard, but not as hard as if she'd have kneown the truth about Bella. That night she prayed for him and the woman whom she thought of as a daughter that had been left behind. Even though Elizabeth knew the pain of losing a child, who would have been Edward's older brother,, she also knew also that it pain no longer didn't raun as deep as it did with losing Bella as a daughter in law. Elizabeth's son was still alive; she had that at least._

 _Upon their return to the house, Elizabeth was surprised by the gift that Edward had hidden from her. Next to the fireplace was a wooden rocking chair with a swan delicately carved into the backrest at shoulder height. Though she knew the chair had been created for someone else, she was thankful. It was a bittersweet moment when she took a seat. Something so beautiful should never go to waste._

 _She kissed her son on the cheek and then relaxed watching the flickers of color from the fire and enjoying the warmth it provided. Her hands became were busy as the stitches of her embroidery fell in rhythm with the back and forth of the chair._

 **2011**

After closing the restaurant and returning to the hotel, Jasper didn't sleep well. Sitting up, he looked at the bottle of whiskey sitting resting on the dresser and thought seriously about having a drink, but he didn't want to be _that guy_ anymore. With all the willpower he could muster, he took the unopened bottle into the bathroom and poured it down the drain. Besides that, he had more to look forward to than he had a few weeks ago. He had a job;, he wasn't in jail, and he might have found the one person in the world that already owned his heart.

If he didn't have to work the breakfast shift, he would have thought about driving over to see Alice again. Part of him loved that she was so innocent while the other side was fearful that he would do something to shatter it. He was confused at how strong his desire to protect and be near her was. It was something he had never felt before. Yes, he had felt the desire to protect Rose, but that was out of obligation more than anything else. His desire to protect Alice was something completely different, and he hated that he couldn't explain it to himself. The woman, just like the house, had bewitched him.

When dawn had finally arrived, Jasper was already hard at work. He filled another crate and pushed it into the dishwasher when he felt as if he was being watched and turned.

"How are things going, Jasper?" Amanda asked, watching him with a penetrating stare.

"Better," he replied after thinking things over for a moment.

"I'm glad," she said, moving to the other side of the dishwasher and pulling the now cleaned dishes forward. "Did you know I knew your mother?" Amanda stated, lifting cups and plates from the crate and relocating them into another empty crate.

"No, I didn't."

Amanda laughed at the disillusioned tone in his voice. "She's a good woman, and she raised a good man, whether he believes it or not." She continued restocking the clean dishes as she spoke.

"I hope you give yourself a break before your past pulls you down. It doesn't have to be that way, you know?"

"You knew?" he asked surprised.

"Of course. It's still a small town, kiddo," she said, patting him on the back and leaving him to his own thoughts.

Sam arrived just as the lunch rush was beginning, noting how quiet Jasper seemed. He didn't push as he usually did, feeling how uncomfortable Jasper was. Once the rush was over, the men walked out back to share a smoke, which that had become their ritual over the past few months.

"So..." Sam began. "Alice, huh?"

"Yup, it's still a small town," Jasper commented as he released the knot of his apron from around his neck. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunch, Sam," he said, not taking Sam's bait to talk about his? The? woman.

"Awe, man, No kissing and telling?. You suck," Sam joked, before heading back inside.

Laughing and in a much lighter mood, Jasper slid into the driver's seat of his car and headed to the one place he had wanted to be for the last twelve hours. He turned the radio on and hummed along with the music that was turned down low. He didn't want the music loud enough to pull him from his thoughts of Alice. Driving down the all too familiar road, time had passed in a blink. Any length of time would not have prepared him to see the unfamiliar jeep blocking Alice's truck. A slow possessive fire started to burn inside of him as he parked and left his car. Jasper examined the red jeep as he walked past and then cut to the stone walkway, still eyeding the vehicle. When sounds of screaming reached his ears, his the blood curdled in his veins. His head whipped around toward the front door and his vision narrowed. His heart hammered as he took flight, crossing the distance in just a few strides.

"Stopppppp!" he heard Alice scream again as his hand reached the doorknob, and he thrust the door ajar. Hearing her desperate screams pushed Jasper into reaction mode, pumping adrenaline into his system. He didn't stop or think. There was a switch that flipped in his mind as he registered a threat and reacted to eradicate it. The bulky frame that hid Alice from his view wasn't given the time to react before he was pulled way and wrestled to the floor with his arms pinned into the base of his back even as he continued to struggled and howl in pain. Jasper's arms became steel bands that wouldn't give until the red that clouded his visions began to clear.

"Jasper, stop!... Please, before you hurt him. I'm begging, Jasper, stop!" Alice's voice echoed, but he was unable to release his grasp until he felt her hand touch him. He recoiled from the electrical jolt that passed from him and stood with his back against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to force himself to think. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the invisible images that filled his vision. He knew they weren't real;, he wasn't back there. 'The war was over,' he told himself.

"Alice, stop? Leave him alone. Let him get control of himself," the unknown voice ordered. Locked in his head, his silent screams agreed.

"Jasper? It's okay. I'm sorry," Alice cooed, as Jasper continued to shiver and shake his head.

"Shut up!" Jasper yelled. _If the man would shut up and stop telling Alice what to do, he could calm down faster,,_ he thought to himself. It took him a few minutes, but he could feel a calmness start to settle along with a cold chill. Still breathing heavily, the two men stared each other down, ready to react if the other made a wrong move. When he was finally able to focus better, he searched out Alice's eyes.

"Where you trying to protect me?" she questioned. There was something almost reverent in her voice. There was a pure innocence and wonder in her eyes that pulled him in.

She was close, too close. Close enough that he could grab her and push her behind him. Still too afraid to speak, all Jasper could do was nod.

* * *

A/N

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm glad I got to post one more before school starts tomorrow. Uhg! I'm not ready. So, if you don't see an update for a bit, just know that I am trying but I also have to prioritize, grrrr.

I want to tell everyone one how blessed I feel with the response to this story. There have been so many new names and faces. I'm shocked. Welcome, everyone!


	21. Chapter 21

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 21

 _October 31, 1910, Labor_

 _Bella stood at the window with one hand against the wall while the other rubbed her back._

 _Victoria had left right after dinner the night before. Other than the door being locked from the outside, it would have been the perfect time to escape. She could disappear without a trace, but Riley was still not feeling well and in danger. How long would it be before they returned? How much longer would she have to stay and live a life that she didn't want? How much more was she expected to take?_

 _While she dreamed of a life that could have been, a sudden pain that ripped through her caused her to lean heavily against the wall. Was this type of pain normal? The muscles of her stomach contracted again, causing Isabella to feel the need to urinate. While she was relieving herself, the intense pain grabbed her again._

 _"Isabella, are you okay," Riley asked from behind the closed door as he continued to pace._

 _"I . . . I think you were right, Riley. I think the baby is coming early," she replied in the calmest voice she could muster._

 _"I'll go get the doctor," he told her._

 _"But the door's locked, Riley. How are you going to do that?" Isabella asked. "Besides that you're sick. You need to stay in bed!" What was she going to do?_

 _"I know how . . . I'll be back really fast."_

 _"Riley!" she screamed. "Riley! Come back!" But it was too late; Riley had already ducked through the trap door in his bedroom._

 _Bella once again stood by the large window, this time looking for signs of Riley. The pain was increasing and she was scared. She had never been around a woman having a baby and didn't know what to expect. Why didn't women talk about these things? Where was Riley? Why wasn't he back yet? Was he okay?_

 _Bella was finding it harder to stand and moved to the living room to sit on the couch. Just when she didn't think she had it in her to bare the pain, a loud banging on the front door got her attention. Someone was there on the outside of the locked door. Was it Riley?_

 _Fear, worry, and pain were the company Isabella had been keeping for hours when the front door crashed to the floor. The tall shadow that entered rushed to her side. His blue eyes were full of concern as he dropped his bag next to them._

 _"Everything is going to be fine, Mrs. Witherdale. Can you tell me how long you have been experiencing labor pains?" Dr. Cullen asked. He held her wrist between two fingers and looked at the watch from his pocket._

 _"Mid-afternoon?" she guessed. "The back pain . . . a few weeks," she continued._

 _"A few weeks?" the doctor asked for clarification. Isabella nodded._

 _"Yes, about the same time Riley started getting upset stomachs and not feeling well."_

 _Silence filled the room. Time stretched out until Isabella began to moan and her stomach muscles tightened._

 _"Mrs. Witherdale, the contractions are still ten minutes apart. If I help you to the carriage, do you think you can hold on until we get you back to my house?"_

 _Dr. Cullen was a good man; Isabella could see it in his eyes. She didn't know why but she trusted the blond-haired caregiver. He had always been kind. She prayed she could trust him. With Riley next to her, she let the doctor aid her out the front door._

 _The trip was uncomfortable and there were several times when Isabella thought she was going to crush Riley's hand. She even noticed him wince once or twice when her pain became almost unbearable._

 _Isabella November 1, 1910, Birth_

 _Isabella didn't know how the doctor's wife did it. She would appear in the doorway at just the right time with hot water or clean linens before Dr. Cullen had said a word. With each time she appeared, Esme would comfort her and explain what was happening, how the baby was working his or her way into the world. She would whisper that the pain was only temporary and that soon she would be able to hold her child with her own two arms and look into the baby's beautiful face, touch soft cheeks, and count ten fingers and ten toes._

 _Hours passed and with pain that she didn't know she could bare, she struggled and pushed a new life into the world. Tears of exhaustion and relief blurred her vision._

 _"It's a girl," Dr. Cullen announced as he set an angel into the arms of her mother. Isabella's breath caught when the cherubim opened her eyes and looked up as if seeing the very soul of her mother ran the whole universe._

 _Her eyes were such a light shade of blue. Her eyes looked nothing like Isabella's. Isabella kissed her baby's forehead, counted all of her fingers and toes. Was it her imagination or was there a hint of green hidden just below the blue of those all too familiar eyes? Edward, she thought. She thought about the months she had spent with him learning to play the piano and falling in love. Recollecting on how often she saw Edward's eyes, the thoughts struck the deepest part of her heart. Her baby had Edward's eyes._

 _Heartbreaking sobs ripped from her chest. It couldn't be . . . she had only been intimate with him the one time, and now to save her daughter and herself she had to pull off the biggest lie of her life._

 _"Take her away, please," she begged. When her child was lifted from her arms, Isabella became hysterical. She could survive James and Victoria, but giving up her daughter, Edward's daughter . . . she didn't know if she had the strength to survive that._

 _A woman's emotions were not his specialty. Doctor Cullen sedated the hysterical Mrs. Witherdale and wondered. "What did a man have to do to create such heartbreak and sadness?" After watching his patient calm, he left her in the care of his able wife. The only way he could have been more blessed than the day he met his wife was for them to have a child of their own._

2011 Redeem

"Alice," Emmett spoke in a warning tone. He didn't like how close his sister was standing to the man who had thrown him across the room. It had been a long time since anyone had gotten the best of him, and he didn't like, nor did he trust this man. It was impossible to miss the rigid stance of someone who had been in the military. As much as he didn't want Alice in the middle, he didn't want the situation to escalate into something more dangerous than things already appeared.

"Jasper, " Alice whispered, getting the man's attention. "This is my brother, Emmett. He wasn't hurting me. I'm sorry I scared you," Alice tried to explain, watching as Jasper slowly calmed. She reached out her hand and waited for him to take it, never looking away from his pain-filled blue eyes. " _He has such lovely eyes_ ," she thought to herself. "Thank you," she added when he finally entwined his fingers with hers. "Let's go into the kitchen and have some coffee . . . or tea," she suggested.

When Jasper didn't move immediately, Emmett took the first step. He had already pulled cups from the cabinets and poured himself some coffee when his sister and her friend slowly entered.

Jasper felt guilty once he was again in charge of his faculties. "I'm sorry-" he started to say before being cut off by Alice's brother.

"No problem. At least I know you can handle yourself. How long has it been?"

"Not long enough, obviously." Jasper's tone was laced with guilt, but it wasn't his fault. He had truly believed Alice was being attacked.

"Well, I'm not sure I would have reacted any different if I had been the one to walk up to a house and hearing a woman screaming at the top of her lungs either," Emmett told him. His voice didn't hold any animosity. Jasper could not believe that the man he had attacked wasn't beyond livid, considering the fact he was rubbing his arm; the man was in pain.

Alice stepped to the side, opened the freezer, and retrieved a bag of frozen peas, offering them to her brother. Emmett snorted but took the offered gift and applied it to his upper arm and shoulder.

As they all took a seat at the kitchen table, Jasper offered his apologies to Emmett for the pain he'd caused. Emmett waved him off, then started his brotherly duties of interrogating the man. He was a police officer, after all; his sister should have known what he was going to do. Jasper answered the questions honestly up until Emmett got to why he left the military and what had he been doing since. Jasper looked at Emmett's suspiciously narrowed eyes and was grateful for Alice's intervention.

"Emmett, stop. I'm a big girl. Jasper is my friend, so leave him alone. He doesn't have to answer your questions," Alice grumbled. "So, what do you two want me to cook for dinner? Steaks or casserole?"

"Steaks," Jasper asked hopefully in unison with Emmett's repulsed tone of "You're cooking?"

The conversation seemed to flow as Alice cooked and served an early dinner. Emmett backed off his interrogation knowing once his younger sister fell asleep, she couldn't interfere. Jasper continued to relax as he listened to the sibling rivalry he had never experienced until he had joined the military.

"Alice . . . if you will excuse me, I think I'm going to take a much-deserved nap, out in the camper. You two," he spoke, looking at Jasper. "Behave yourselves. Don't do anything I would do," he finished, laughing at his own joke. For a brief moment, Jasper experienced a sense of déjà vu. His best friend, Corporal Royce King, had said the same thing when he had introduced his new bride, Rosalie Hale King to Jasper and the rest of the team.

"Do you wanna take a walk?" Alice asked, looking a little peeked.

"Are you feeling okay?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, I just think I ate too much. I hate feeling this full and a walk always helps."

Together they walked the length of Meadow Lane and back, quietly, as they listened to the sounds of nature.

"Would you like me to read you another of my great-grandmother's letters?" Jasper inquired as they neared his car. He smiled at the light and excitement radiating in Alice's eyes. Reaching through the open window, he pulled out an olive-drab satchel as Alice pulled his free hand and dragged him toward the back of the house. He searched his bag, retrieving a single letter and opened it once they were seated on the porch swing.

 _November 2, 1910_

 _To Thee my Heart, Edward,_

 _I have watched and waited and listened beyond what I have been able to withstand. The door has opened and I flee even as a silent prayer passes my lips._

 _I lead the dogs away for fear that they have gone rabid and seek blood as payment. Danger surrounds us with every mile we overcome to distance ourselves._

 _My list of sins grows longer by the day. I have taken what is not mine and claimed him as such. Is it possible that to redeem myself in your eyes after the sheet has been torn and light is shed on my secrets?_

 _With all my Love,_

 _Bella_

"That's it?" Alice asked. "What does she mean? She's running from something or someone. Does someone want to kill her? Her sins . . . taken what is not hers? That's a very cryptic letter. What does she mean by redeeming herself?" Mentally, Alice was trying to put the pieces together with the little she already knew.

They sat together, watching the sun lower itself behind the trees, both lost in thought.

"I don't think my great-grandmother was a very romantic woman when it came right down to it, Alice," Jasper said trying to justify the letter.

* * *

 **Well, now! Y'all thought I had forgotten about you, didn't you? Not a chance. I'm back for a short time. Lots to do this summer after a long semester of classes. Glad that's over lol. Only 3 more years to go.**

 **Anyway… how many of you are ready to kill me? Nobody? Really? Wow!**

 **Hope everyone enjoys the update! Thank you all for sticking with the story. There is more to come. I haven't been reading fanfiction, so sorry, I don't have any rec's at the moment.**

 **Well, I do have to mention that Approaches to Literature wasn't as horrid as I thought it would be… well.. okay, not my favorite class but I did get to do some creative writing for the class. If I can figure out how to add them, I'll post them for you. I guess you will have to enjoy Carver and other writers of that caliber thought. We'll see.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 22

 _Edward February 27, 1911_

 _The way his mother looked at him made him feel like a child and not the man he had become. The pity in her eyes made him want to scream and deny the bitterness he knew was taking root. But what could he do? For months since his mother had arrived, they had avoided talking about the one thing that would make his life better. He knew he would eventually have to talk about her, but what would happen then? Would he magically be over her the way she was over him? Or would he lose the small amount of control he still had over his life?_

 _He hadn't drunk a single drop of alcohol since he left Garrett's tent or his job logging trees. That changed at the end of February. He needed peace from his mother's pity every time she looked at him. He'd approached her with just a hint of liquid courage that warmed him inside and out. Standing next to the stove, he rubbed his hands together before taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly._

 _"Is she happy?" Edward asked without looking at his mother._

 _"Edward, don't do this. Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," she replied. She knew she wouldn't tell him if he didn't ask, but she couldn't lie to him if he did, even if it would have been better to do so._

 _"I didn't ask for an explanation. I asked a simple question...is she happy? Yes, or no?"_

 _"It's complicated."_

 _"Why? Why is it complicated?_

" _Edward, if she were the same girl you knew and fell in love with, it would be an easy answer, but Bella isn't that little girl anymore. She's a married woman."_

" _Don't you mean a married woman with a child?" Edward didn't miss the flash of guilt and hurt in his mother's eyes. "Mother—you mean a married woman with a child, right?"_

 _"No, I don't. I said what I meant, and I won't discuss it further while you are drunk and hurting," she replied. Her tone was final as she picked up what she was working on to leave the room._

 _"Unhand me, Edward," she said after being denied exit. "How dare you put your hands on me. I raised you better than that."_

 _The blaze in Edward's eyes dimmed as he released his mother's arm. How could he cross such a line and use force against his own mother? Had he sunk so low? Become so bitter?_

 _"Let her go, Edward. I beg you, let her go and move on before she destroys you. This is not love! If you truly love her, you will find a way."_

 _Edward March 1, 1911_

 _"Is she here?" James screamed at Elizabeth who stood on the porch of Edward's home._

 _"Is who here?" She questioned, already knowing the whom he was speaking. She feared what had happened to bring this man to her son's door._

 _"You know who I'm talking about. My wife, Isabella Witherdale, and my son, Riley," he growled back._

 _Elizabeth Masen knew something; she had to. Everything he had worked for rested on finding his wife._

 _"I haven't seen your wife," she retorted. Elizabeth had seen all too well what the man in front of her was capable of. She had seen, firsthand, the bruises the man had left on Bella, slowly destroying her from the inside. Everyone had witnessed the signs of her punishment. Everyone had been too afraid to ask what crime his young wife had committed to be made to wear red while running errands._

 _"You put her up to this, didn't you?" James accused._

 _"Put her up to what?" she asked as Edward stepped from the house behind her._

 _"You and your temperance movement! Always interfering in business that isn't yours. You put her up to running away, didn't you? You set this whole thing into motion by inviting her here... didn't you?" James snarled, continuing on as if Edward wasn't there._

 _"Excuse me," Edward interrupted, stepping in front of his mother. Anger built as the man continued spewing accusations at them both._

 _"I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr. Witherdale. I suggest you leave my property before-"_

 _"Oh, I bet you love this. If you think she will ever be yours, you are mistaken. Isabella belongs to me. I will find her even if I have to force-"_

 _The clicking sound of metal brought both men up short as Elizabeth raised the barrel of Edward's hunting rifle._

 _"I pray that she did run away. Anywhere would be better than with you after everything you put that poor girl through. But I highly doubt that is the case. I heard the rumors, and the more of you I see, the more I tend to believe them. I wouldn't put it past you or your whore to have buried her six feet down and now pretend that she ran away to save yourself." Tears streamed down the woman's face. The rifle in her hand shook as she ranted._

 _Mentally, Edward was left staggering at the unladylike anger and hate his mother was showing so openly. It was obvious that his mother knew more than she had ever shared about what had happened to Isabella._

 _The whiplash of emotions from the two Masen's showed that Isabella nor Riley was there. Surely, Isabella would have sought refuge from them. As much as James wanted to believe that this is where she would have run, he couldn't. She had been gone for two months. Either they were good liars or maybe she was dead. If Isabella was dead, then so was Riley._

2011

The sun had set fully when Alice broke the silence. "I don't think that is true," she said speculatively. "I think she was very much the romantic, like me." She ran her hands up and down her arms trying to ward off the night's chill. "Jasper…" she began but was in shock when he started coughing and laughing at the same time. "What?"

It took him a minute to control the coughing and explain himself.

"Actually, you look like her," he announced as he reached for his satchel. He had been trying to figure out how to bring it up, and the fact that she had given him the perfect opening had surprised him. There were a lot of things about Alice that surprised him. He passed her an item that looked like a greeting card, an original envelope that protected the picture that had been placed a century before.

Alice marveled at its condition, almost new, made of heavily constructed paper that Jasper handed her. It was obviously old, so she took great care when she split the cover and opened it. Confusion rushed through her until she realized what she was looking at. The photo was of a woman she had never, would never, meet.

There were slight differences, fewer curves maybe, a slimmer face, the slight turn of the nose, but they were barely noticeable. Once you reached the eyes, though, the differences didn't matter. If Alice pulled back her hair and donned the same dress, the resemblance between herself and the women in the photo was eerie. The eyes were the same shape and slant. Alice wondered privately if the color was the same as her own. The photo showed fuller eyelashes and manicured brows, too.

She also sensed a sadness in the woman staring back at her. She wondered if her own sadness showed as much as it did in this stranger's image.

The familiar warmth that Alice was becoming more comfortable with surrounded her as if she were a child who needed to be soothed.

Looking past the reflection of herself, Alice focused on the rest of the photo. Alice could see what the fence line in front had once looked like when the house was new. The man holding Bella close was taller, like Jasper, and he sported a full beard. The woman to their right was older and resembled the man in the photo, but it was the boy standing in front that caught her attention.

"You look like him," she said pointing to the child. She thought she heard someone say something like "You feel it too, don't you," but was too focused on the picture to give an answer.

"Yes, that's my grandfather, Riley Masen, and he's my great-grandfather Edward Masen. The woman is my great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Masen. She was a school teacher here in Gulfport in the early 1900's," Jasper explained. "My great-grandfather, Edward Masen, built this house, and it was in our family until I screwed up and you bought it."

Alice wanted to tell him that if her mother were there, they could reenact the photo almost to perfection, but she let that thought go as a cold shiver rippled down her back.

"My turn," Alice announced, handing the photo back to Jasper. "Let's move this inside. It's getting chilly."

After relocating to the living room with cups of hot cocoa, Alice opened the burlap sack and withdrew a letter at random. Taking her time, she opened the letter and began to read just as Jasper had done earlier.

 _My Dearest Bella,_

 _I am so grateful that, at long last, I was able to ask you to be my wife. My heart is overflowing that you said yes, and did not turn me away._

 _You have made me the happiest man this side of heaven._

 _Isabella Marie Swan, I promise never to leave you or forsake you. I will love you beyond the end of time. I will not take for granted what God has brought together. I will not forget what life is without you. I will always see you as the girl that taught me what love is and how to love. I will always put your needs above my own. No matter the cost._

 _For an Eternity,_

 _Edward_

Alice had just finished reading when her brother blew through the front door, anger etched in every muscle of his frame.

"You get away from my sister! She doesn't need someone like you in her life messing her with head," Emmett yelled at Jasper. "Exactly," he added when Jasper closed his eyes in defeat.

"Now!" he growled in a threatening tone and pointed toward the front door.

Alice watched in disbelief as Jasper pulled himself away and stood. He didn't look back when he crossed the room where he stopped in front of her brother. She could not believe he was leaving without a word, but he sauntered through the front door without a word.1omg

* * *

OMG! I thought I posted this chapter~ It didn't post, so now it's sitting here in my document manager being ignored.

So, I guess I didin't make the update as quick as possibleh... Yeah! Now, all I have to do is edit the next chapter and forward it to the wonderful women that have put up with my sporadic schedule all this time!

Will Emmett stop interfering with Jasper and Alice already. Geez! I think he is taking the big brother roll to far!

So, Esme doesn't seem happy, does she? And Emmett! Wow! So glad my brothers use to chase off unworthy boyfriends. So bad I still had to go to school with the jerks lol.

Can not wait to hear more of your thoughts and summation about the gang here.


	23. Chapter 23

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 23**

 _Isabella November 1, 1910, Protection_

 _"Now, Esme . . . It is not our place to interfere. James Witherdale is her husband. He is rich and influential, but I don't think . . ."_

 _"Carlisle? What is it?"_

 _Dr. Cullen stoked the fire then stood next to the couch. As he watched a sleeping Riley, he longed for a child of his own. He couldn't remember how many times they had tried for a child only to have the future taken away. The Lord had his reasons for everything, he reminded himself. Had it only been a few weeks ago that explained to a family friend that his own son had not survived the night after being born too early?_

 _"You would have made a wonderful father, Carlisle," his wife said knowing where her husband's thoughts had gone from the expression so plainly displayed on his face. Standing at his side, she watched her husband reach down and brush the blond curls away from the child's face and then pause._

 _"You think so?"_

 _"I know so."_

 _"How is our patient?" he asked, changing the subject._

 _"Scared—terrified, exhausted. She told me that we needed to save her baby before she fell asleep. She believes her husband will do something awful to them. She seems very confused. Childbirth can have strange effects on first-time mothers."_

 _"Once she gets some sleep, she should feel better."_

 _"You don't believe a man could be as cruel as she suggested, Carlisle, do you?"_

 _"Esme, did Mrs. Witherdale say that her back pain started a few weeks ago - the same time the boy started getting stomach aches?" The doctor's brows pulled together as he tried to remember._

 _"I believe so. Why?" she questioned. And then she noticed her husband looked concerned, and that he was looking at Riley's hands._

 _"Esme, let me see the baby," her husband said quickly after dropping the boy's hand._

 _"Esme . . ." Carlisle spoke softly. "I don't want to interfere with another man's family, but what if she had a reason to believe that her life and her daughter's life were in jeopardy?" the doctor asked his wife. Could the young woman in the next room life really be in danger?_

 _"I don't understand what you're asking, Carlisle."_

 _"I think . . . I . . . I don't know what to think, but they may have been poisoned. Look, Riley's fingernails have a bluish tinge to them. That's a sign of arsenic poisoning. And so does, Mrs. Witherdale's-"_

 _"I tried to stop them," a small voice said behind them. The doctor nor his wife had noticed when Riley had awoken. "I switched the milk as much as I could," the boy cried._

 _Horror-struck, the couple listened as the boy told him what life behind the Witherdales' door was like, and how he believed that his mother was not his mother. He told a tale, so despicable the couple had no choice but to believe Riley spoke the truth._

 _A plan was put into motion that all would have to promise to take to the grave._

 **2011**

Jasper stood outside the front door lost in a fog of thoughts. Nothing was clear, easy, or lasting. He listened to the argument muffled by the front door behind him.

"What the hell was that, Emmett?" Alice screeched at her brother.

"What was that? That was me getting rid of the trash. He's a drunk, someone, you have no idea . . . That's what that was. You don't have the first clue of what that man is capable of . . . and you just let him into your life and home as if you know him. You don't. Did he tell you that he's a convicted felon, Alice? That he was in prison for eighteen months for a DUI and leaving the scene of an accident? He almost killed that woman and fled the scene."

At least his secret was out now, Jasper thought to himself.

"You ran a background check on him?" He could hear the accusation in her voice.

"I'm a cop, Alice. That's what we do!"

 _Yup, that's what cops do_ , Jasper thought. He could almost picture the rigid pose Emmett would have taken. Just like any other cop, matter-of-fact.

"He wouldn't . . . he couldn't." He overheard as Alice continued to defend him.

"Leave it alone, for now, Alice," Jasper said ruefully as he moved one foot in front of the other, down the steps and across the yard toward his car. He almost stopped when he heard the loud slam of a door. Her room was on the backside of the house, so he couldn't tell if she had turned a light on or not, but he didn't stop.

He could almost feel the burn of the alcohol in his throat as he slid into the driver's seat. That's what he'd wanted to do, get good and drunk. Maybe he would forget tonight and pretend it never happened, but he couldn't.

His mind raced trying to find a solution to his troubles. He pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked, but he didn't have the strength nor desire to move, so he sat, lost with how to fix the mess his life was again. There was only one person he could talk to, so he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number from memory.

"I need your help," was all he said before hanging up. He had prayed that he would never have to make that call, but if he was ever to have a chance with Alice, the record needed to be set right, and there was only one person that could do that.

By the time he flopped into his bed, he couldn't remember how he had gotten through the door. He couldn't stop thinking about what Alice's brother had said, and how she had defended him. All he wanted was to feel nothing, but Emmett was right, he had been a drunk. And alcohol is where it all started and that stopped tonight. As much as he wanted a drink, he wasn't going to use alcohol as a crutch this time. This time he wasn't going to feel guilty for not keeping a promise made to a dead man. That was a promise he should never have been asked to make.

His future was Alice. He could see it as if someone had already painted it. He had to do whatever it took for the chance to make it happen. His body relaxed and his eyes closed.

 _Artillery fire exploded, throwing dirt, rocks, and sand a hundred feet into the air across the desert floor._

 _This isn't happening, Jasper thought to himself. This is supposed to be a training exercise not a deadly attack under enemy fire. What the hell's going on? His thoughts continued as he raced across the ground to his battle buddy who had fallen to the ground._

" _Royce, get up, man. We have to get out of here and find a safe spot to hold up in."_

 _There was blood on his hands when he finished rolling his friend over. Jasper grabbed his hands tightly into his friend's webbing and pulled him to a safer spot out of the line of fire._

" _Jasper, man. I don't think I'm going to make it out of this one. You have to take my place and take care of her. She's all I have left man, please. I'm begging you. There's no one I would trust her and my child to . . ."_

" _I will, Royce, but only if you don't make it out of here. Let's not think about that right now." Another explosion forced Jasper to protect his friend with his own body. The next thing he knew he was lying in a hospital bed and his brother in arms was gone._

Soaked in sweat, screaming, Jasper jerked awake and sat up quickly. He apologized again to his dead friend for failing to keep his promise, but it was unfair to have even asked him to sacrifice his life like that. Besides, he had sacrificed his life in other ways. Somehow, they both needed to move on with their lives. Royce was gone and Jasper could see him disappearing before his very eyes and still couldn't fix it.

* * *

Hi, everyone! I can see that this little story here is gaining some attention, lots of new favorites and follows! A few of you thought Jasper needed a good old fashion ass whopping last chapter~~Feel the same after reading this chapter?

We're just about halfway through the story now. Seem's everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats. I want to say thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows, and to welcome all the newcomers to the journey. Don't worry, there's so much more to come (add a bwahhhh here for all those that have read this one from the beginning as well as other stories I've written with these characters).

So, can anyone answer the question of, "Is this an ExB story, or an AxJ story?" As many of the readers have expressed that they only read BxE or AxJ, I'm wondering if you have decided which side of the yard this story falls.

After reading a chapter do you feel comfortable sharing it with a friend knowing that no matter what that they will get something out of it?

What did ya'll think about the blue fingernails?

I guess I should let this chapter go or it will never get posted. No more rambling from me today. Sending another chapter off to Yummy to see what she has to say. Remember, there are so many people to thank for helping with this story and getting chapters just right for your reading pleasure. Reviews from you do not belong to me alone but to every individual that has helped influence a single, and there are more than I can name at the moment.

Oh, one last thing! I would love to know your thoughts. For those that are interested, I have posted the creative responses to assignments I did in class under the title, Approaches to Literature ( www. fanfiction s/ 12489644/ 1/ Approaches-To-Literature [remove the extra spaces]).

Read, review, and reshare!


	24. Chapter 24

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 24

 _Edward March 1, 1911, Confessions at night_

 _"Mother, we need to talk. I think it's time you tell me everything," Edward said after several minutes of watching the direction that James Witherdale had retreated. Would he be coming back to harm his mother, or himself? Was Bella in danger, or as his mother had put it, dead?_

 _With danger lurking at their door, Edward needed to know what would bring that man to his front doorstep. Had Mr. Witherdale found out about him and Bella? Or was it just coincidence?_

 _"Why would he think she was here?" Edward asked his mother after placing his rifle next to the door. There was no way he was going to be unprepared if James Witherdale decided to return._

 _Though Elizabeth could only guess, she sumized that it had to do with the last time she had seen Bella. The brief interaction had left an impression, and it was the last time Elizabeth had seen Bella._

 _Elizabeth explained how she had greeted Bella formally and that she had done the same. They talked about what a beautiful day it had been and Elizabeth felt compelled to share about her move to Gulfport and her new teaching position there, but Bella didn't seem interested and refused to look at her._

 _Elizabeth had even complimented her on her new outfit and how the color was much more becoming on her than the red ones she had been wearing while she was pregnant. She didn't like that the red-haired gypsy answered for Bella instead of letting her speak for herself, saying, "She's been such a good girl lately," as if red had been a punishment. Red was not a color a lady would have chosen to wear._

 _Elizabeth explained that when she gave her condolences about the child, she knew the girl was in pain after losing her son. He had been born too early and had not survived. She added how it had felt there was more to the story. She would have asked had the red-headed chambermaid not been present or if Bella had not simply walked away and never looked back._

 _Edward's eyes filled with tears of grief as he listened to his mother's tale. Flashes of the last time he saw her flipped like the turning pages of a book as the reader skipped to the end. He thought about how her dark hair was pulled up in a womanly twist behind her head, decorated with a new brimmed hat. He wanted to touch the sky blue of her dress to see if it matched the soft look of her skin. But it was her eyes he couldn't get past. It was more that fear hidden behind dead eyes but he couldn't see clearly enough now._

 _"She was defeated long before she gave birth . . ." Edward mumbled just loud enough to be heard. He didn't have the strength to raise his eyes from the floor as his hands tightened against his will, turning his knuckles white._

 _"What does that mean, Edward?" Elizabeth asked confused. The silence that followed was unnerving until his mother asked the question again. What was going through her son's head? "I saw her in September, before her birthday. . . when I came to take you both away. I saw her and did nothing—I came to tell you about the teaching position and I saw her in town, pregnant. And I ran. She should have been pregnant with my child, not his."_

 _"Oh, Edward. 'Should haves' is not how these things work . . ." Elizabeth said, trying to comfort her son. Of course, her son was in love with Bella, she knew that. Even she loved Bella as the daughter she never had, but simply loving someone didn't create a life._

 _"Should have," Edward began almost calm but not quite. "Fine. Maybe the best words to use are . . . could have."_

 _Edward knew his mother understood when he heard her gasp. Elizabeth was still unable to speak or look away when Edward's tear-filled eyes finally met hers._

2011

By the time Alice finished arguing with her brother and chased after Jasper, the only thing she saw was red taillights at the end of the road. There was no catching him now. Returning to the house, she ran up the stairs to her room and flung herself onto her bed, crying herself to sleep, ignoring her brothers pleads of understanding.

If what her brother said was true, how could she be falling in love with someone who would do such a thing? From the first time she laid eyes on him, she felt a pull. His words from earlier came back, haunting her. _You feel it too, don't you?_ Yes, she felt a pull to him, to this house, to its past, their past, and her possible future.

That night her dreams were of another time. Colorless—mixes of black and white.

 _She stood dressed in a white lacy dress that hung to her ankles. The man she felt she was supposed to love stood between her and his mother and their son in front of him. They all smiled at the photographer's prompt. She looked at him as he stood behind the camera, his upper body shielded from view by a dark canvas blanket. He held a t-shaped bar to his right._

 _She didn't know the man next to her or the woman. Something with this scene was wrong. The man standing in front was her future, not the man next to her._

 _The woman that stood with them was a stranger to her but when she spoke, there was a sadness in her voice. It was as if the woman had expected something strange and mystical to happen._

 _"You don't belong here, dear. You have to find her," the woman said. It was like the others hadn't heard them talking, and there was a flash of blinding light._

Alice lay shivering and shocked, staring at the ceiling. She could still hear the voice from her dreams. "Go home. Find her and you find your future."

 _I'm losing my mind_ , she thought. Unable to return to sleep, Alice chose to leave her room in search of ice cream. Wasn't every girl's best friend a carton of Ben and Jerry's?

"I'm sorry, Alice," broke the silence as she reached the bottom rung of the stairs. "I probably shouldn't have interfered," Emmett finished as he turned on the lamp next to him. The light gave the whole room a soft glow.

"No, you shouldn't have. It's none of your business, but that doesn't change the facts, now does it?" Alice replied looking at her brother. Her tone bit deeper than she had wanted as she observed his head drop. "That . . . that's why I left home in the first place. You, nor mom, wouldn't allow me the freedom I needed to figure out who I am or to trust myself with any decisions I made. Dad understood that, why can't you?" she continued, unable to rein in the bitterness.

"It's because I love you," Emmett countered.

"Love? You love me, and that's how you show it? You humiliated me in front of my friend and you humiliated him. I don't have room in my life for that kind of love, Emmett." Alice continued her trek to the kitchen. Cherry Garcia, her favorite, was this week's flavor, so it seemed. By the time she had managed to dig out a spoon and take the first bite, her brother stood under the archway.

"Can we start over?" he begged.

"No, we can't. Besides, I'm sick of starting over. How about a do-over instead?" she suggested. The corner of her lips twitched at the beginning of a smile as she eyed her brother.

"Fair enough. I'm sure one start over is enough," Emmett laughed at their private joke.

When Alice had returned from the hospital, everyone had a hard time grasping the fact that they were strangers to Alice and that their memories were just that, theirs. Not hers. So to ease the tension when someone was about to say don't you remember, Alice would say, can I start over? It didn't take Emmett long to follow suit as a simple reminder to himself.

Alice shook her head. Emmett, like herself, was an eternal optimist, which was a rare trait for a police officer. Alice grabbed a second spoon and offered it to her brother. After he wagged his brows and took the first bite, her smile was in full force.

"So, you have another mystery on your hands I see," he asked his sister as they moved back to the living room.

"Huh? Oh, I guess so-maybe-I don't know. That's what Jasper and I were talking about, but . . ." Alice trailed off. She didn't want to throw another log on the fire and start another argument with her brother. There was something about fighting with him that made her skin crawl. "I found a small stack of letters written by his great-grandmother. Just before . . . well, he showed me a picture of them earlier. Wanna see?" she asked already knowing how his mind worked. That was why he made such a good cop, he didn't like unanswered questions. With the way things had ended with Jasper, he had left his satchel behind. If he hadn't shown her the picture she would never have considered opening it.

"Um, wow, Alice. If I didn't know better, I would almost say they were our great grandparents," Emmett said after studying the picture. "I kind of look like this guy when I grow a beard." he laughed. Alice didn't remember the younger Emmett who'd grown a beard to make their mother mad. "And if I didn't know better, that could almost be you in the picture."

"Here, let me read one of his letters to you," Alice said as she grabbed her stack left on the table.

 _Merry Christmas Bella,_

 _They are words that I mean sincerely. I want them to be true, that you are having a wonderful Christmas with your new family. I can see you and your child sitting in front of the tree opening presents. I hope your husband understands how lucky he is having you in his life._

 _At the same time, because of my own selfishness and pain, I hope your holidays are not happy because the wrong man is sharing Christmas with you. I am ashamed that the only thing left for me to feel towards you is anger and hate. I am ashamed of how I feel because this is not how the Bible describes love. Love is patient, kind; not proud or arrogant._

 _What do I do, Bella? I still have no idea what my future holds without you._

 _Empty_

 _Edward_

"Brooding much?" Emmett asked once Alice finished reading, causing her to laugh.

* * *

A/N

I hope everyone is having a great summer along with an awesome 4th of July! Feels like the summer is running away with itself.

Uhg! This chapter is killing me! All the drama! Edward and Elizabeth... Emmett and Alice! Holy Cow!

To Yummy who helped make it readable, to my friends that were forced to listen through the plot bunny stage, here is chapter 24.

What do you all think?

read, review, and reshare!


	25. Chapter 25

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 25

 _Isabella January 10,_ _1911,_ _midnight hour_

 _James and Victoria were out to dinner leaving her and Riley home. The moon had kept her secrets and so had the hiding place where she had placed_

 _It was dark and cold outside but it was time for Isabella to escape. Everything and everyone that she loved_ _were_ _gone, and it was only a matter of time before James came to her wanting an heir. She had given enough and was not giving any more. She stumbled in through the kitchen before reaching the cabinet where she had hidden letters over time from James and Victoria. The kitchen was the last place they would have looked. she was sure. She had only packed a small bag that was easy to carry, taking nothing of value from the house. She would give them no excuses to search her out, but this was the last night she would live in this house, as James' wife or Victoria's target._

 _Elizabeth Masen had left to be with Edward, and though that is what she wanted to do herself, she knew that was the first place they would look. If only Victoria hadn't been with her that day when she heard the news, no one would have known. Dr. Cullen and his wife had also left and moved somewhere down the coast. She was glad she didn't know where they had gone. Knowing where her daughter was could have been dangerous. But everyone had agreed to take their secret to the grave. To protect her daughter, she would do just that. It was a shame that Edward would never know, but she couldn't think about that now._

 _She froze as the floor creaked behind her._

 _"Riley, what are you doing awake at this hour? You should be asleep," Isabella said gasping, a hand laying across her heart._

 _"I know you're leaving. Please, take me with you, please," the young man begged. With everything they had been through, there was no way she could leave him behind now that he had confronted her. Together, they made quick work of gathering a few more clothes but just enough to carry easily and disappear into the night._

2011

"You could have left a better message on my phone, Jasper," The brunette woman said after he had answered the door. The racket she had caused by pounding on it had set him in a bad mood.

"Sorry, Rosalie. I wasn't exactly thinking when I made the call." Jasper moved aside and let her and the kids enter as he pulled a shirt over his head. "I didn't think you would drive here either. Why didn't you call me?"

"I did, you idiot, but you didn't answer. And you still haven't set up a voicemail account, so, here we are," she said as she directed her oldest son to sit on the bed while she headed to the bathroom with the youngest still perched on her hip.

Jasper stood in the doorway watching as Rosalie changed her daughter's diaper. He looked back when he felt the pocket of his jeans being tugged.

"Uncle Jazz, I'm hungry," the little boy said. Jasper ran his hand through the child's dark hair.

"He looks more and more like his Dad every day," Jasper commented before lifting the boy up into his arms for a hug and trudging back into the main room. He searched the container sitting on his dresser for the box of cookies he knew was there. Rosalie would probably threaten him with bodily harm, but the kid said he was hungry.

"He does," Rosalie said in a flatly. Jasper understood her tone and didn't comment. He wasn't ready for more of her tears. Maybe she's gotten past that, he thought. No, he reminded himself. He hadn't gotten past it, how could she?

"Here you go, Trev," Jasper said as he handed out an iced oatmeal cookie before setting the young man on the edge of his bed.

"Really, Jasper. He hasn't had his lunch yet," Rosalie said, reappearing after cleaning her daughter up. "We've been too busy trying to find you," she said letting out an exasperated sigh,"and now that we have, and Sierra is all clean, will you finished getting dressed so we can go back to that diner and get some real food before he refuses to eat."

"Three minutes, and I like the haircut and color," he called, reaching for his socks and shoes. Once he was dressed more appropriately, he met Rosalie outside, taking the passengers seat of her station wagon.

"Thanks, I'm trying to move forward. Sorry about the house," Rosalie said as she concentrated on pulling out of the parking lot. "I didn't realize you had sold it."

"Long story, but how did you know?" he asked looking at her with a confused expression.

"That's the first place I went looking for you," Rosalie commented.

"Oh, no. . . please," Jasper groaned. "Tell me you didn't go to the house."

"They seem like a very nice couple. A little intense, but nice. But it's a shame because Emmett is just my type."

Jasper closed his eyes and flopped his head back against the seat, feeling like the air had just been kicked from his chest. He wanted to yell at her and ask her why but he already knew the answer. She didn't know where else to look for him. It wasn't like he'd stayed in touch since moving back to Gulfport.

"Rose, he's a cop and that's not his wife. She's his sister, Alice. Oh, lord," he explained as he knocked his head again the seat.

"They're not? He's not? She is?" Rose questioned as she pulled into the parking lot across from Ren's Diner.

"I'm screwed. I give up. No, no, and yes. . ." Jasper replied while he angled his body and stood from the parked car. Intuitively he moved to the back door to collect Trev while Rose unbuckled Sierra. Their conversation didn't continue until the children were settled and everyone was seated in the restaurant. Jasper knew this really isn't the place for the conversation they were about to have but maybe it was better this way; at least she couldn't make a scene.

"So, I may need you to help explain about my conviction, Rosalie," Jasper said getting straight to the point of why he had called her.

"Now? Why?" she asked nervously as she looked at her children. She didn't know if she had the strength to make everything right, now that she had her children. It was one thing when she was faced with watching Jasper go to jail, originally, for something he didn't do, but now, after two years?

As if he could read the woman's mind, he continued, "Don't worry, Rose. If the law gets involved, I'll admit that I asked you to help me out so that. . ." Jasper thought of what he really wanted and then continued. "I could. . . never mind, Rose. She'll probably never want to talk to me again, anyway. How's work at the bank?" Jasper asked, changing the subject.

"You like her, don't you? Duh, stupid question. Of course, you like her. And that explains a lot," Rose said looking at the ceiling. Of course, Jasper liked her.

"Explains what?" Suspicion filled Jasper's tone and he waited for Rose to look him in the eye and explain.

"Why she was so upset, when I showed up looking for you? And I might be mistaken, but she might have gotten the impression we're together," Rosalie said. Upon Jasper's look of interest, she continued to explain the reception she was given by the couple she had assumed were together.

"No, no, no. . ." Jasper continued saying.

"Mamma, Uncle Jazz, being weird," Trev said watching his uncle knock his head against the table repeatedly.

"No, Trevor, he's not. I think Uncle Jasper is in love."

"Ew. Like, k-i-s-n-g," Trevor said with disgust, causing his mother to laugh and Jasper to lift his head and view the young boy with a smile.

"Yes, Trev, like k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Rosalie corrected. When Jasper's eyes flashed to his friend, there was a gleam there he hadn't seen since before his brother-in-arms died.

* * *

 **And so, I took a few minutes to run and hide from the world so I could update.**

 **Well, now! Bella's leaving and Alice has come face to face with Rosalie . . . mwahhhhhhhhhh! She has definitely been out of the loop on Jasper's life but it isn't taking long to get caught up, is it?**

 **Eww, Alice and Emmett? Sierra and Trevor, what do you think? I think these kids can be a handful!**

 **Read, review, and relate** out **journey here to your friends! I am** definately **looking forward to your thoughts.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 26

 _Edward_ _March_ _1911_

 _Remember_

 _Confessions had been as long as the night had been dark. Edward and Elizabeth had come to an impasse, agreeing to disagree. If Bella came neither would deny her safety under their protection, but Edward refused to look for her. : If the girl Edward once knew and loved was still there, still trapped with that monster, he knew she'd try to find him. And Edward would wait for her no matter what. If she didn't come, then maybe she was better off dead. That was the only reason he could come up with to explain himself._

 _He sat on the porch, the collar of his jacket pulled tightly around his neck. He begged the_ _Lord_ _and the moon above to bring Bella home safely, whether she_ _was_ _whole or not. He didn't need to know more details of her life to know that she had suffered more than he could bare. He could only wait until the end of eternity. He asked for forgiveness for being so young and immature when he had met her, when his mother had agreed to take Bella on as a boarder and student._

 _He thought about how angry he had been at first when she arrived. How stupid he had been. Instead of being angry he should have run. He thought about the first time she had gotten him to laugh. He had tried not to pay attention to his mother's lesson with the young girl but the walls were thin, impossible not to hear. It was a simple lesson about introductions and his mother had insisted on being addressed as if she were a man._

" _Isabella, try again. Thank you, Mr. Witherdale. Try and pretend that I am your fiancé," Mrs. Masen instructed._

" _I'm_ _sorry. . ._ _I can't. . . you have. . . you have. . . what are these called. . ._ _these," Isabella stammered._

" _Isabella, keep your hands to yourself. Having breasts has nothing to do with pretending I'm your fiancé. . . Edward Anthony Masen!" his mother screeched hearing his howling from the adjoining room. "Get in here and help me, please!"_

 _His mood was too light when he entered to save his mother and his mom was too embarrassed. And it only got worse from there. He had managed to stay away until then. When Bella looked up at him, he was gone. And later that week, he had made a fatal mistake. He had started_ _teaching_ _her how to play the piano. She had been so full of life, ready for adventure and love, and neither understood what life was about to hand them._

 _"I miss you, Bella Swan. From the depths of my heart, I miss you. He may have married you, but you never belonged to him."_

 _Edward May 25,_ _1911_

 _Watched_

 _The end of May was rapidly approaching and James Witherdale had not returned, and there was still no sign of Bella. Edward was uncomfortable leaving his mother at the house but they needed the money. He would not allow his mother to support them in his home. So he did what any man would do, he went to look for work and the first place he headed was the last job he worked._

 _Elizabeth rode in the buggy as Edward plotted the course. This way if anything happened she would know where to go to find him if he was needed. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the best they could do. There was no place for a woman in the woods living with a bunch of rowdy men. Edward jumped from the buggy and held the horse's reigns as his mother moved to take his place. He made sure she knew what trail to take before he disappeared into blackness, pausing only long enough to hear the buggy heading back in the right direction._

 _The climb took more than a few hours, and he reached the summit well before day break._

 _"Good Morning, Garrett," Edward said, recognizing the figure that stood next to the fire. He knew he would find him here early before the others woke. It had always been Garrett's way of getting his mind ready for the day._

 _"Now. . . if that isn't a voice I've been waited to hear," Garrett replied without turning. "You still sound like a heard of buffalo," he continued and laughed._

 _"Who said I was trying to be quiet? I know better than to creep up on a man out here. I may still be wet behind the ears, but the one thing I am_ _not_ _is stupid." Both men laughed and shook hands._

 _"You've been gone long enough to have a kid of your own by now," Garrett said jokingly. Only Edward didn't laugh along._

 _"I know it has been a while. There were things I needed to do," He explained. "And now, I need some work."_

 _Garrett had this knowing look about him as he stared at his friend. Garrett had always been wise but this was different. Garrett knew something Edward didn't._

 _"I'm sorry, Edward. I don't have work this month, but I do have something for you. . . if you want it."_

 _"What does it pay?" Edward asked as he looked toward a rustling noise coming from the trees._

 _"Garrett-" a sweet voice spoke as her frame moved into the light._

 _"Nothing. But it's yours for free if you take her with," Garrett said, laughing at the_ _wide-eyed_ _man._

2011

"I don't believe it, Emmett. He would have mentioned something that big to me. . . he would have," Alice argued as she sat on the couch in disbelief.

"Alice, you're living in a fantasy land again. Have you really gotten to know each other well enough to share that He has kids and a hottie as a wife?" Emmett said. Alice glared at him for the use of hottie referring to Jasper's wife. "Well, she is! Even if she seems a little sad, but who wouldn't be sad, saddled with two toddlers and tracking down your lazy spouse?"

"He's not lazy, and he's not married..." Alice said defensively. And to her credit, she tried to believe what she was saying was the truth. What was she going to do if he wasn't single? What if Jasper Whitlock was married? Her whole being deflated, thinking about what could have been, what should have been, and what was.

"Maybe it's all some cosmic misunderstanding," Emmett said as he sat next to his sister, just as defeated.

"She was pretty forceful," Alice lamented, thinking over the last ten minutes.

"She was. . . did you notice she didn't use one curse word to cut me down?" Emmett rolled his head to look at his sister.

"Yeah, that was pretty good," Alice said a little livelier. "and you think your man enough to run a household?" Alice said, trying to impersonate the woman, Rosalie.

"The way she looked you up and down..." Alice said as laughter bubbled up from deep inside. "I think she has your number, too."

"That, sister dear, sounds like a whole lot of drama to me... instant family, deadbeat exes. I deal with that shit every day. It's not something I want in my life, thank you."

"Yeah, I guess, but wasn't she angry that he wasn't here and that I own the house?"

"But that's not what you said... You don't think she thinks we're married, do you?"

"I don't care what she thinks," Alice said still looking at the ceiling. She held the key on her necklace and caressed it as she silently prayed for answers. If there was one thing that could drive her to the brink of insanity, it was not knowing the answers.

"What's that?" Emmett asked as he reached across the space between them to touch the key Alice was holding.

"Oh, this? It's the key that was tied around the letters I found. It's cool, isn't it? But it doesn't fit anything here. I've tried every antique lock I could find," Alice explained.

"Speaking of letters, do you wanna share another one? I need something else to think about because right now the only thing I can think about is a hot-headed brunette. . ."

"Sure, but then we need to think about lunch, and doing something on the house." Alice sat up and leaned to the side retrieving the small pile of letters. Picking one up, she began to read as she reclined back into her spot on the couch.

 _My Dearest Bella,_

 _Where are you? Why have you not found me? Are my mother's suspicions of your death even a small possibility? Is that why you have not come home to me?_

 _I never meant for you to suffer as you have. I never meant the cruel words I wrote. I have only wanted the best that life has to offer for you._

 _My heart aches for you. I fear you have moved on without me and have left me behind. But I am here Bella, waiting. Waiting for you._

 _You have my heart, Bella. Now find the rest of me._

 _Always yours,_

 _Edward_

"Wow, Alice. He sounds as desperate as I feel. That did not help at all," Emmett said letting out a deep sigh.

* * *

Lordy, these letters still get to me after all this time. I bet there were a few of you that though there wouldn't be an update today (or this week even) SUPRISE!

A lot of angst this chapter, sorry. but maybe more clues than you realize. I can not wait to hear your theories.

I hope to get more posted soon. See you then!

 **Read, Review, Recommend**


	27. Chapter 27

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 27

 _Bella February 29, 1911_

 _It had been almost six months since Bella and Riley had escaped their past. Bella wondered if she would ever get past the fear of being found and if she were to be found, what that could mean for Edward, Riley, or herself for that matter._

 _Garrett had made her nervous when he first found her and Riley in the_ _woods,_ _but soon became a trusted friend and protector. He had even taken Riley under his wing and slowly started teaching him about logging. Bella had been nervous and skeptical at first, but wound up filling the_ _role_ _of cook for the chuck wagon, much to the appreciation of the other men under Garrett. That first night, Garrett had warned the men that if anyone harassed her or the kid (as he put it) he would be the one to kick their asses into the next century, and then he would turn them over to Edward, who everyone already knew could have a mean streak._

 _Every weekend a few of the men would travel to town for a couple of days off and bring news of the outside world back in the form of newspapers and gossip. It was one of these such adventures that word was brought back about Bella. Apparently, James Witherdale was under suspicion of murder. His wife, Isabella Witherdale nor his bastard son had been seen since_ _mid-January_ _. One of the men brought back a newspaper which reported the IRS was looking into his business practices for possible embezzlement. With Isabella possibly being a witness, her disappearance was even more scandalous/mysterious._

 _With the news in mind, Garrett sat his guests down and they all decided that it would be best if they were to stay in the camp, hidden from the rest of the world, until Edward either showed up or was found._

 _"We shall give him until Independence Day to show. If by then he has not been heard from, I will personally go down and find him myself," Garrett promised the_ _teary-eyed_ _woman. "And drag him back by his ears if need be." He had the feeling her tears had less to do with her past than they did her future. Women were such strange creatures._

 _Bella only nodded before telling Riley to get to his chores before dinner._

2011

With a soft wink from Amanda, Jasper was reminded that he was supposed to be working after finishing lunch with Rosalie and the kids.

"Shit, Amanda, I am so sorry. I'll be right there," Jasper replied, downing the last drop of coffee from his cup. "Rose, here's the key to my hotel room. Get the kids comfortable and I'll walk there after I do my job. Sam is going to kill me," he explained before walking toward the swinging doors.

"You know, Jasper, for someone who is so detail orientated, you forget a lot of shit," Rosalie shouted at his retreating back before laughing and shaking her head. "Thank you..." Rosalie prompted as she pulled her wallet from her purse.

"Amanda. Owner, operator, and waitress of Ren's Dinner. And his boss," Amanda answered throwing a thumb over her shoulder. "And you are..." she prompted back with interest.

"Rose... Rosalie King-" she replied.

"And I'm Trev. And that was my Uncle Jazz," Trevor added cutting his mother off. "You not spanking my uncle are you?"

"Trev, hush. You're embarrassing me. Jasper was my husband's best friend. Sorry about my son. Sometimes he doesn't know when to be quiet," Rose said before kissing her son on the head. "How much do I owe?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll have me a little fun, and make Uncle Jasper pay for it. You folks have a great day," Amanda said, turning and heading back behind the counter.

"Trev, she's weird," Rose told her son, wrinkling her nose, causing him to laugh. She gathered her things and hiked her daughter, Sierra, who had been sleeping onto her hip before leaving the restaurant. It had been a long day and it was definitively time for the kids to nap.

"So you finally decided to grace us with your presence, huh," Sam greeted when Jasper all but ran into the room tying his apron around his neck before stacking dishes.

"Sorry, man. I lost track of time-" Jasper started as he placed cups into a rack.

"Time... man I hope so. She's hot even with two kids. I could lose time with that myself," Sam said as he looked through the window of swinging doors.

"Oh, no, man, just no. She's like a sister-in-law. . . and um, what would Emily say?" Jasper said. Sam laughed because he could hear the irritation in his co-worker's tone.

"Damn, here I thought you were still a player," Sam countered, snapping his fingers. "I was going to ask how you could handle two hot women at the same time in a small town." Both men erupted in laughter as Amanda walked up behind them.

"Less talking-more dishes!" she ordered.

After the lunch rush was over, Sam quit for the day and went home. It wasn't long before Jasper wished he hadn't.

"So, I hear you still play the field. Why not add me to the game? Is it because I'm blonde? I could always color my hair if it's that big of a deal," Jessica ranted after Amanda and Sam had already left. He was starting to see more clearly why Sam disliked Jessica so much.

"What? No, it's not because you're blonde. You know, if you paid as much attention to your husband, as you do gossip, you would be much happier," Jasper said in disgust. He couldn't believe what the girl was implying. "And I don't play the field," he finished.

"Well... well, I never," Jessica spat before fleeing back into the restaurant.

"Oh, I'm sure of that," Jasper replied to thin air. He couldn't wait for the night to be over. He was grateful he had the foresight to switch shifts with Sam the next day. All he wanted was to clear the air with Alice before everyone thought the worst of him, not that it took much here in Gulfport. Maybe Alice was different. Maybe she would believe him-them. Granted, Rosalie wasn't comfortable talking about what had happened in front of a police officer but maybe...

"Please, God. Just give us one break... That's all I'm asking here-just one."

Once the lights were out and the door was locked, Jasper was still a gentleman and walked Jessica to her car, closed the door, and watched her taillights disappear before heading on his way.

Five minutes walking on a brisk night was nothing compared to the way he had to live in the military or jail, and he relished the fact that it was his choice to huff it and he was free to come and go as he pleased. Quietly, he unlocked the door and slipped through. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark before moving to the bathroom. As he had suspected, Rosalie was settled on the bed with both children next to her. Trev shared the responsibility of protecting his sister by sleeping on the outside, just like his mom. Sierra was nestled in the middle, both arms slung open wide giving her the room she needed.

A peace settled in Jasper's heart at he watched them sleep. "Man, Royce. I know they miss you, so do I." Jasper hadn't realized he'd spoken allowed, or that Rosalie had woken up.

"Jasper?" Rosalie asked in a whispered tone.

"Go back to sleep, Rose," he responded automatically.

"We'll fix this tomorrow," she said as she readjusted her position and snuggled back down into the blankets.

Jasper contemplated how to fix this as he looked in the mirror. Was he being a coward asking for help? Did he really want to involve Rose? What would Royce do if he were here? What was Emmett going to do if the truth came out? These questions and more plagued him as he lay on the floor and tried to rest that night.


	28. Chapter 28

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 28

 _Edward June 15, 1911_

 _Garrett may not have had work for me back in May, but he would in June. But now that Bella was here I had to do a complete_ _turnaround. I_ _took a job in town instead. Hearing her voice as she walked through the trees, calling someone else's name, caused my blood to run cold. The shock forced my heart to beat more rapidly. I froze, unable to react to seeing her. I thought I was dreaming or having some kind of hallucination._

 _As soon as she saw me sitting there next to Garrett, her mouth fell open like she was trying to say something I couldn't hear. And then it was like she curled up within herself. I blinked and blinked but she was still there. Garrett's voice was a buzzing in my ear as he excused himself and disappeared._

 _The sun was just cresting over the hills and the darkness was fleeing. It took us a few minutes to realize we were both there, in the same spot, together. Like a moth to the_ _flame,_ _I reached for her, but she didn't move. I waited, and then all at_ _once,_ _my Bella was in my arms, tears in her eyes as she wiped her_ _nose_ _with the sleeve of her dress. I hadn't realized just how incomplete I had felt without her until that moment._ _Nothing_ _and no_ _one_ _would ever take her away again._

 _As we approached the tent that Bella had wintered in, she became nervous and her eyes darted around. Her body moved as if her joints were frozen and she stiffly pulled away. I did not understand what had her so afraid; as if I could deny the woman a thing . . . until she introduced Riley. It was obvious that the boy was part of the package because she placed herself protectively between us. I had a decision to make. Did they both come home or did they stay? It was the easiest choice I ever made._

 _Mother was standing on the porch, rifle in hand, as we approached that evening. She startled me when she dropped the rifle and ran to us capturing Bella in her arms. She didn't have to say anything., I knew she felt the same as me—complete._

 _At first, it was awkward. We were not the same innocent people we had been the year prior. We had both suffered in ways I doubt I will ever understand, but Bella and Riley were safe. I don't know what that man had put them_ _through_ _, but when Bella woke up screaming, I wanted to kill him myself. She, nor Riley, discussed what they had been through and I didn't ask. Much to my shame, I knew Bella was still married and I didn't know if we could ever overcome that. It wasn't something I had ever thought about, and unfortunately, any physical relationship between us was impossible. I would stay celibate for the rest of my life as long as she was in my life, and I believed she felt the same._

 _We prayed and studied God's word. As she became more relaxed, we talked and got to know each other again. And I got to know Riley, too. The mothering instincts and the experience that came along with raising a son, fine-tuned with years of teaching, my mother filled the parental role for Riley better than Bella or myself. It was never officially decided, but Riley's position in the family naturally filled a younger brother role. Our family had grown, but I still didn't know if I would ever have a family of my own. Now that Bella was with us again, there was hope._

2011 To Dance

"Jesus, Alice! I thought you said it was quiet out here. It's more like Grand Central fucking Station," Emmett yelled as he thundered down the stairs to answer the door. He was tired after helping Alice out the night before and not in the mood for company. When he had decided to come for a visit, he was not expecting to be up all hours of the night installing sheetrock, outlets, and lighting fixtures. He was still covered in joint compound from the first application they had done after watching the sunrise when he opened the front door. His what-do-you-fucking-want question was answered in gasps and angry stares.

"You said a bad word to my mom! You a bad monkey," Trev said, shaking his finger at the man filling the entryway.

"Um, sorry. Jasper, maybe we should come back later to apologize," Rose said, taking a step in the opposite direction.

"You're already here and we're awake. Come on in," Emmett said in a much softer voice. "It's not your fault my sister is a slave driver." Jasper and Rose shared a conspiratorial glance, slash grin, between them as Emmett opened the door fully to allow the mob entrance.

"Thank you," Rose said, passing into the living room.

"You're welcome," Emmett replied, ignoring a mute Jasper and the still-angry little boy in his arms.

"ALICE!" Emmett yelled for his sister as he swung around. "Shit! Sorry," he apologized, realizing he almost knocked her down because she was suddenly standing.

* * *

A/N

Okay, so this was definitely a short chapter. There was no way to add this to the previous, or the next one, and maintain the impact of Edward and Bella reuniting. Was there?

lol. And now the three rules of Fanfiction; Read (check), review, and recommend to others.


	29. Chapter 29

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 29

 _Edward July 3, 1911_

 _With the excitement of summer came the beginning of a future._

 _"Edward," Elizabeth called to her son. "Edward, come here!" Elizabeth said_ _exuberantly_ _as she rushed into the house, the local paper tucked under her arm. She was met at the door by a wide-eyed girl and a young man standing behind her. She had just returned from town and the sailors of Gulfport were excited for a day off; celebrations had already begun._

 _"Mother, what is all the excitement about?" he said as he flew up the three steps into the house behind her. Elizabeth turned to him smiling. Edward hadn't seen that smile in a long time. The closest she had come to having a smile that big and genuine was the day he returned with Bella and Riley from the logging camp._

 _"It's over," she said rushing to him for a hug._

 _"What is over?"_

 _Elizabeth opened the paper. Edward noticed the front page still reported about the race riots, which were the main topic of conversation in Mississippi before his mother flipped to page three._

 _In small print, as if it was inconsequential news, the_ _headline_ _read, "_ Local Businessman, found dead" _in large, bold print. The article was brief and to the point, reporting that Mr. James Witherdale, who not only was under suspicion of civil crimes against negros but was also a suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Mrs. Isabella Witherdale. It continued that his wife, part owner of JW imports, wa_ _s believed_ _to have met with a deadly fate as she had not been seen or heard from since January. Authorities believe that the death of James Witherdale appeared to be a suicide, though they have not ruled out homicide. His_ _long-time_ _housekeeper, Victoria Smith, was wanted for questioning. If anyone has any information on her whereabouts, they're asked to please notify authorities._

 _Bella shook her head in disbelief before looking to Edward. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. Was this their chance at a future? Had she really been set free? Had she lived here for over two_ _years?_ _Tears pricked at the edges of her eyes as Edward reached around her and pulled her into his arms._

 _"This means you're not married anymore..." Edward said. He was right. She was a free woman. Free to love whom she wanted and more importantly, marry whom she wanted._

 _With the news of James death, Independence Day held a new meaning for all._

2011

"... I'm not hiding that I'm a convicted felon. It's just not something I talk about. I'm sorry you heard that kind of news from someone other than me," Jasper explained. "I didn't want you, or anyone else, judging me based on one bad decision," Jasper continued as his eyes moved from Alice to Emmett, and back to Alice. He was desperate for her to understand what he was going through.

"I didn't think-" Alice started before her brother cut her off.

"Okay, so I might have jumped to some conclusions. But now that you are explaining, what I want to know is why you need a skirt to come to your rescue?" Emmett asked, looking at Rosalie. Something wasn't adding up, and he wanted answers-real answers.

"Skirt! Did you just call me a skirt?" Rosalie asked indignantly as she rose slightly from her seat. "How dare you-"

"How dare I? I'm not the one telling half-truths." Emmett knew from the minute he riled Rosalie up that she was the weak link in the chain, so he pushed and called her out. If he could get her mad enough, she'd break and he would know the whole truth-every dirty detail. "I'm not the one that got drunk and got behind the wheel of a vehicle. I'm not the one that nearly killed someone. Your loser boyfriend here, Jasper Whitlock, is. Give me one good reason to believe he's changed, for Alice's sake. Oh, your Honor, I'm so sorry," he continued his rant closing his fists and rubbing his eyes. "I don't know any other way to deal with my boo-hoo life. I'm a coward, a drunk-". By the time Emmett's rant was cut off everyone was standing. Alice and Jasper were trying to break into the conversation before emotions got the best of everyone.

"Emmett," Alice shrieked.

"Rose," Jasper warned, but it was too late.

"I'm the one that was driving the fucking car," Rose screamed. When she realized what she'd said, her expression changed from anger to horror. Her hands clasped over her mouth to keep from spewing more of the truth. She'd lived with the guilt for too long. On some level, it felt good, to tell the truth, but the consequences could be devastating. Rose wanted to slap Emmett and his stupid dimples that appeared at the edges of his smile. The twinkle in his eyes, because he had won, made her want to scratch his eyes out.

Jasper pulled her into a hug before the shock of the conversation wore off, and whispered comforting words in her ear. "It's okay, Rose. That's what good cops do. They find your weak spot and break you down. Don't say anything else. Let me think for a minute. . . we'll figure this out."

"This is what I should have done two years ago," she whispered back. "I never should have let you take the blame. It's my fault..."

"Excuse me," Alice broke into the conversation. The panic that filled her voice forced everyone to look at her. "Where are the children?" she asked looking past the entryway into the living room.

Rosalie and Jasper moved first, rushing into the living room frantically looking around before Jasper headed to the front door and Rosalie rushed up the stairs. Alice and Emmett were quickly on their heels. Emmett came to an abrupt halt before plowing into Jasper's back.

"Trev..." Jasper said with a much calmer voice than he thought he was able to muster. "Why are you and Sierra on the porch?" He knelt in front of the children sitting on the edge of the porch in a protective stance, ready to catch either if needed.

"Mamma was getting loud. We brought Sierra out here so she wouldn't be scared," Trevor said before reaching out to his Uncle for a hug. Before Jasper could settle Trev on his hip and collect Sierra, Emmett had already claimed the little girl.

After returning inside and announcing to a much-relieved Rosalie and Alice, the four agreed to table the conversation about criminal records, who did what, and anything else that would cause tempers to flare. But Emmett warned everyone that this particular topic was not finished. Emmett and Alice looked at each other with raised brows after shrieking a horrified 'no' at Rosalie's suggestion for her and Jasper to leave.

"Why don't we take the children into the backyard and let them play for a while," Alice suggested. "I would really like you both to stay." Warily, Jasper and Rose succumbed to Alice's charm, but not before she guaranteed Emmett would behave. Jasper snickered watching her bully the man standing next to him without so much as a word. _Now who's the coward?_ he thought to himself. He had to admit to himself, though, that Alice could be kind of scary. Not in the, ' _I'm going to kill you'_ way, but in a way, that would make your heart hurt for a long time.

Rose and Alice sat in the swing watching the kids run around while Emmett brought out some chairs for Jasper and himself. Alice was already chatting away at Rose.

"Back there, behind the tree's, just to the side of that rock, is a family plot. I guess it would be Jasper's great-grandfather?" Alice asked already knowing the answer but wanting to direct the conversation until the tension between them was gone. Jasper nodded and smiled. Alice was good and he liked the change in conversation.

"He's the one that built the housed, too," Jasper added. "It's kind of what brought Alice and me together. She found his letters and was sharing them with me while I was reading my great-grandmother's letters to her."

"Speaking of which, I have one last letter you haven't read yet," Alice announced with a mischievous grin. She bounced from the swing and into the house.

* * *

 **One last letter... say it isn't true! It's** not **, not that I remember. There are at least 13 more chapters if I can get them edited and have one of my Wonderful beta's to touch it with their magic wands and lift it to posting fitness.**

 **Independence day? Skirts? Cowards? This group is batshit crazy!**

 **Don't foret the 3 R's of Fanfiction**

 **Read**

 **Review**

 **Recommend**

 **Classes have started again but I will work hard to finish this story before another year goes by.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

Chapter 30

 _Edward March 3, 1910_

 _"Isabella, I know I shouldn't want you. . . but I do. I want you more than I have wanted anything. It's wrong because soon you may belong to someone else. But I need you even if it's just for this one moment. Nothing else in my life matters more than you._

 _"Edward. . ." her voice was weak. She had fought against the growing attraction between them for months to no avail. She knew she could never be his; She already belonged to someone else. It was only a matter of time before her fiancé returned and claimed her has his own. He was the only reason she was here in the United States. She was the price for her family's future, bought and paid for like cattle. There was nothing either she nor Edward could do about that. But she was also tired of denying herself. She wanted him even if it was just for one night. Tonight. Tomorrow they would deal with what to come._

 _Edward laid her back_ _against_ _the grass under a canopy of stars. His skin was exposed to the moonlight as he hovered above her. The dress that she had worn hung limply from a_ _nearby_ _tree branch. He was sure she could feel the heat from his body just as he felt the_ _heat_ _from her. He knew that when the sun rose in the morning things would be different, he just wasn't ready to face how different._

 _Her hands grazed his bare chest and caressed his neck. Her eyes were wide with fear and anticipation. This was new for both of them. Tonight may be their last chance. Slowly, Edward lowered himself and covered her flesh. He kissed her lips until her body gave way to desire before his actions caused her body to stiffen and her eyes clamp shut. Tears leaked from the edges of her eyes. Edward's body trembled with tension as he forced himself not to move. He kissed her more until she drew a breath and released her lips from between her teeth._

 _Her breaths were ragged as she tried to control the pain but her eyes opened, Her gaze was captured by his. There was no turning back now. She was one with him. He was her first. She would think about the consequences later. Tonight she belonged to him. Tonight she was his._

 _He didn't know what he was doing. The urge to move was so strong, the pull too deep. Slowly he gave into the need watching her intently. With every movement he made he waited for her to relax. Was he doing this right? The sensations rushed through his body begging him to keep moving but he waited for her. He moved deeper and waited. He pulled back feeling her tighten around him. He paused, acclimating himself to the sensation until she relaxed and then he moved again. This time together wouldn't be rushed. It needed to be shared._

 _Trying to mainetain his composure, he closed his eyes. His eyes popped open when he felt her squirm against him, under him. It was her turn to feel how much he desired her until they moved in tandem._

 _Sweat made its way down his chest before droplets fell to her breasts and abdomen. He watched intensely as the moisture built and ran to her sides disappearing. His mouth felt dry and all he could think about was drinking from the sweat of her skin. He pulled her closer, lifting her chest from the ground. Droplets turned to puddles and then looked like rivers. He placed his mouth on her heated skin, licking at the beads of moisture. His heart almost came undone as she moaned, a reaction he had not expected. He froze._

" _Don't stop, please don't stop," she begged. Her breathing increased as his tongue roamed across her breasts. He quenched his thirst again. His body pressed into her, deeper. But this time he couldn't stop. The sounds she made spurred him on. Her body had become putty in his hands, relaxed and needy._

 _Her fingers dug into his back almost uncomfortably as she tried in vain to slow his pace. They moved together building to something unfamiliar. Neither could explain the need, only that they needed more. More of what?_

 _Edward could feel how painfully hard he was becoming, but he could not control the electricity that ran between them. It was almost an out-of-_ _body experience_ _. He stretched her arms above her to stop her from drawing blood from his back. He wrapped her hands_ _in_ _his._

" _Bella. . . I can't. . . no control. . . Bella," Edward growled against what his body was screaming for._

 _Bella locked eyes with him, "Please." She felt like she was burning alive, she was alive, and Edward was with her, in her._

 _Blood rushed through their bodies. With each_ _pulse,_ _they moved together and apart until Bella's body floated from the ground, her back arching. He moved fast._ _thu_ _-thump,_ _thu_ _-thump. His nerves were on fire. Every stroke of his body moved deeper, causing her to moan more. The heat was too much. Overwhelming, but she couldn't stop herself, or him._

 _His_ _stomach_ _tightened, a steel grip caused his eyes to shut as sparks burst behind his lids. His body became_ _rigid_ _as he exploded into her, filling her with his seed. It wasn't something they had thought about or could think about. There was no future for them, only now._

 _She burned from the friction where their bodies had_ _met_ _. It was painful and she wanted to cry, but it was also more than that. It was a connection that they would always share. Her emotions were in overload. As her body trembled from exertion, she could feel him softening but her body refused to let_ _him_ _go. When his body relaxed onto hers and he pulled_ _from_ _her, it felt like a part of her was being torn away. A part of her that would always belong to him. Something she couldn't have back nor wanted back._

2011

The enthusiasm that washed over Alice affected everyone. There seemed to be a buzz in the air. While Alice was inside, Rose and Emmett (wanting to be a part of the adventure) questioned Jasper.

He quickly summarized his family legacy. How his great-grandfather had moved from St. Martins to Gulfport and built the house for his future wife, Isabella Swan. His grandfather Riley Alexander Masen had moved to Biloxi, married his grandmother, Sarah Sandros, and ran a company that went bankrupt when the stock market crashed in 1929. His mother was born just before her father was listed as MIA during World War II, and the fact that his own father, suffering from post-traumatic-stress-disorder from the Vietnam war, disappeared in the mid-80's. Taking all of that into consideration, it was a miracle that the family had stayed so close to their roots for so long.

"Here it is," Alice said excitedly, as she returned from inside, holding the letter with both hands. After taking a seat next to Emmett, she slid the paper from the envelope and started reading after looking at each person present. If their expressions told her anything, it was that they were as excited as she was. Everyone loved a good mystery, right? Especially when love was thrown into the mix.

 _My Dearest Bella,_

 _Though_ _you are_ _not the same girl I fell in love with, I still love you. Even though your heart has been broken beyond what I can fix, I am grateful you have been returned to me. I am falling in love with you all over again._

 _I can see the strength that it took for you to walk away from him and to put others above yourself. You protected someone who was not_ _your_ _flesh and blood while your life hung in the balance._

 _Looking back at my own sins, my friend Garrett was right; I am a coward. I do not have your strength, or the will to survive that you have demonstrated._

 _I want to be that man for you. The one that puts those around him first, starting with you and Riley, but I feel weak compared to you. I pray that if the time ever comes, that I can show the amount of strength and love that you have shown not only to me but my mother as well._

 _If ever you have need, I am here for you. Tell me anything Bella and I will listen. I will put your needs before my own. I will, and do, love you with my whole heart. I will protect everything that you have protected with my very life._

 _Filled with love_

 _Edward_

By the time Alice finished reading, her brows were pulled together in confusion and she looked to Jasper for answers, but he seemed confused as well.

"Wait a minute," Rose said, the first to speak. "That may be a love letter and maybe I'm crazy, but from what Jasper just said, I thought Riley Masen was their child?"

"The better question is, who's the guy she walked away from and who was she protecting?" Emmett asked too.

As more questions than answers arose, Jasper and Alice agreed to wait until later that night to delve deeper into the letters. Rose, just as inquisitive as Emmett, asked if she and her children could stay too. Emmett stayed because he'd planned on staying during his two-week vacation anyway. The last few hours of the afternoon were spent chatting and watching the two children play until they were forced to serve an impromptu dinner.

After dinner was devoured, Alice and Jasper cleared the dishes while Emmett helped Rosalie wrangle her children and put them to bed in Alice's bedroom.

Spread out across the dining room table, used as a staging area, the four came together in an effort to decipher the cryptic meaning written within the century-old love letters.

* * *

A/N

As I said in a Facebook post, "I am swept away with emotion... I cannot express what it means that TLS (The Lemonade Stand) (the update was posted by Mariah Hajile who tagged me as a writer) rec'd out my story. I wondered why my email box has been exploding over the last 24 hours. Now I know. I am going into the other room and cry tears of joy... *snifsnifsnif* Thank you, Mariah. I am truly overwhelmed." If Mariah had not tagged me in her post, I would have never known that The Lemonade Stand had included LLOML in the rec's list.

Thank you for all those who have followed this story from the beginning and have blessed me with your comments and sharing this story with others. Welcome to all the new names that have exploded in my email this week. I hope you've found a story that is a little different from the norm and have enjoyed catching up with the rest of us. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and theories as we move forward to the finish line. We have about 13 chapters left. I would post fast if my grammar didn't suck so bad and the amazing people in this community didn't have to help me fix them up to be considered readable.

 **All your comments/reviews and fav's of this story are not mine alone but belong to all those who have been involved from the beginning as I struggled to put this plot bunny into words while trying to figure out how the characters wanted me to present them.**

The list is long, TrueEnglishRose, Anne Chowdhury, Storypainter, Yummy, BornOnHolloween, Tracy A. Sally Hopkins, SunflowerFran, Kelly R. Lesslie X., Clo R., Mary MissPeaches, ImHereToReview, SandyL, and AstroSport. I know that are others that at the moment I cannot think of their names, so please forgive me. I have had pre-readers and sounding boards all rooting for me. This story has been a growing plot bunny since March 2013 and has been completely roughed out before I even started posting. I hope that all the hard work these individuals have put into helping me bring this story shows.

p.s. LLOML has topped all of my other stories for Fav's and alerts and is about to out review all of my other stories. If you haven't read any of them, please feel free to explore the meadow of other stories that took more than one person to write.


	31. Chapter 31

**Lost Loves of Meadow Lane**

 **Chapter 31**

 _ **Edward March 4, 1910**_

" _Edward, Isabella! Mr. Witherdale is due any time. Where have you two been?" Edward's mother, Elizabeth, asked as they walked through the front door before she gasped. Edward was posturing, his chest puffed up. His expression daring her to ask more questions._

 _"What have you done, Edward?" she questioned, moving her eyes to her student Isabella. Bella's face was downcast and afraid. It didn't take but seconds for Elizabeth to figure out where they had been or what they had done. She had been afraid of their growing relationship, but now, now she was afraid for their lives. She gripped the chair next to her, feeling the blood drain from her face, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes._

 _"Edward, Mr. Witherdale is a proud man. If he figures it out, he will kill you, both of you. You can't be here when he arrives," she said, moving to her roll top desk in the corner of the living room. She pulled out mason jar and opened it. She grabbed every bit of money she had managed to save and shoved it in Edward's pocket._

 _"I'm not going anywhere. I love Isabella and she loves me." Edward said pulling Bella closer._

 _"Oh, Edward. I should have sent you to your grandparents when I accepted this responsibility. I'm sorry, Isabella. I've come to think of you as my own daughter but that is just not the case. You're engaged to Mr. Witherdale. If you love my son the way I believe you do, for the love of god, tell him to leave."_

 _"I'm not leaving," Edward yelled as Isabella pulled back. She knew Elizabeth was right. She was property and belonged to James Witherdale._

 _"Edward, your mother is right. We can't do this, not now, not ever. If I run away with you, he has the power to ruin my family. I can't do this to them. I'll be ready when my fiancé comes to retrieve me, Mrs. Masen." Heart-wrenching sobs escaped Isabella as she reached the top step of the stairs. After making herself presentable, Edward was gone when she returned down stairs. Elizabeth Masen sobbed along with her not knowing what else to do._

 _"Bella, I'm not leaving forever. I will come back for you. I will find a way. We still have time," Edward yelled to her bedroom window. The window was closed but he was sure Bella had heard him. His face quivered with emotion. It couldn't end like this. Distraught feelings overwhelmed him as he ran to the livery, saddled a horse, and left without looking back. He had to find a way. It was the only way he would survive this life._

 _Hours later, the dust stirred as the new horseless buggy drove over the hill. People still turned out in droves to see what Mr. Ford had created, the Model T. Cars were more popular in the bigger cities, but the buggy was still popular among the less advantaged, especially here in Mississippi. Mr. Witherdale knew the tides and times were changing, and he was ahead of the game. Soon he would start his empire, he just needed a legitimate heir. Today he would be escorting his bride-to-be to the court house to be married, and tonight he would make the young Isabella Swan his wife and solidify his future._

 _Both women jumped and stared at each other wide-eyed as the knock at the door resounded through the room. Elisabeth Masen stood and brushed the wrinkles from her dress as she strode to open the door and welcome her guest. On the outside, she looked all business, but on the inside that she pushed and shoved thoughts to the back of her mind while her heart was breaking. Her son was gone. To where or for how long was unknown. And now she was turning the woman that she thought of as a daughter over to a practical stranger. How could she do this? How could she do this to her son as well?_

 _"Isabella, dear. What is wrong? Why do you appear so sad?" James asked. His voice was sincere, full of compassion as he held out his hand to her._

 _"Nothing, James. It's just that... I've come to love Mrs. Masen like the mother I never had, that is all. I will miss her." Isabella tried to explain choking back the sobs. It was close to the truth._

 _"Awe, Isabella," James said, pulling her into his arms and rubbing circles on her back soothingly. "I'm sure Mrs. Masen wouldn't mind a visit from you every now and then. Would you Mrs. Masen?"_

 _"No, surely not. I would love a visit from Isabella any time she wishes it."_

 _James released Isabella from his embrace, ushering her to look at the woman in the room. "Now, say goodbye to Mrs. Masen while Victoria gathers your things. We need to hurry to the court house." Isabella hugged Elizabeth, whispering how much she loved her into her ear before turning to her fiancé._

 _"Why are we going to the court house?" she asked with a confused look on her face._

 _"Isabella, today is your birthday. You are officially eighteen years old. Now, don't worry. Everything we need is waiting for us and we must not keep the judge waiting."_

 _Tears sprung from Mrs. Masen's eyes. There was nothing she could do._

 _What no one seemed to realize, except Bella, was that her birthday was not for six more months._

2011

"Wait. Read that again, Alice," Emmett said as they combed through the letters again.

"What, this part? Alice asked. When Emmett confirmed Alice began to read. " _A heart breaks in many ways. The pain of child birth was greater than I had believed. I suffered greatly even as my midwife, Esme Cullen, tried to comfort me._ That?"

"You don't remember, but our great-grandfather was Dr. Carlisle Cullen and he was married to Esme. And if memory serves me correctly, they lived in St. Martin's for a short time. Isn't that where you said your great-grandfather originated?" Emmett asked, looking toward Jasper who nodded.

"Jasper, this is getting bizarre," Rose said before yawning. "Sorry, I'm not used to staying up so late."

"What if Riley wasn't Edward's son?" Alice continued not realizing how late it was getting. There had always been something about the house and its past that called to her. Now she had a mystery on her hands she had to solve. Each new question seemed to push her deeper into the story as if she was discovering her own past. She knew she would never have made some of the connections that her brother did. "Or Isabella's? And who in the hell is this James guy she keeps referring to?"

"According to this letter, James is her husband," Jasper said answering her latest question.

"You know what ladies and gents? As much as I love a good mystery and all, I think we could use some sleep. Maybe we should go to vital records at the town hall in the morning."

"Oh, there's also the Gulfport Historical Society. They might have answers too," Alice added.

"Whatever, I'm headed to bed. I'll sleep in the camper tonight. Rosalie, you should head up and check on the kids," Emmett suggested. "I guess you can have my bed upstairs, Alice, and Jasper can take the couch."

"Yeah, okay. I'm just going to stay here for a few more minutes," Alice replied never taking her eyes off the letters. They were missing something, something she had to figure out, but what?

"Alice, take a break. Come sit with me on the couch," Jasper offered a half an hour later. It was just the two of them now, and the last thing he wanted to think about was all the questions running through his head. Reluctantly, she pulled herself away and joined him. "I think we're going to have to go to St. Martins to get all the answers we want."

With blurry eyes, Alice lifted her head from the arm rest of the couch, blinked to clear them, recognizing the sound of soft laughter. The fuzzy shape she focused on cleared into a young Trev who was pointing at her.

"Two little birdies sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love. . . Did you kiss my uncle?" Trevor asked, bewildered, as he closed the distance between himself and Alice. He was close enough to rub noses when he stopped, staring her in the eyes.

"I don't think so," Alice answered honestly.

"Trevor King, leave Uncle Jasper and Alice alone. Get in here and eat your breakfast," Rose called from the entry way to the kitchen. When Alice looked in the right direction, she saw Rosalie wearing a smile and Emmett behind her.

"You guys ready to solve a mystery?" Emmett said in a booming voice. Jasper jerked reflexively away with a start.

After several cups of coffee and breakfast all around, everyone piled into one of two vehicles. Emmett rode with Rosalie, while Alice rode with Jasper into town.

During breakfast, they had agreed to divide their destinations. Emmett and Rose would go to the town hall, and Jasper and Alice would go to the Gulfport Historical Society, then they would all meet up at Ren's Dinner and discuss whatever that had unearthed.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hi Everyone! Welcome to all the new readers who have recently joined our journey on Meadow Lane. I can wait to hear your thoughts. And it would also be nice to know a little about you as many of you have no bio on your profiles.**

 **As many of you know, I am a nontraditional student in a nursing program and that is why it has taken awhile to post this story. For those of you who are new to any of my stories, be assured that the story is already complete except the editing part (which is the part that also drags this process out because I suck at grammar) If you read the last chapters A/N you know that this story was raised by a village and not just a writer. This is how many stories are. It takes a village.**

 **Thank you all for sticking with the journey. Don't forget about FF etiquette, read, review, and recommend! See** y'all **next chapter.**


	32. Chapter 32

oLost Loves of Meadow Lane

Chapter 32

 _Independence Day 1911_

 _Independence Day was not only freedom from England for Isabella, it was freedom from a life she had never wanted. She was free to choose love. But would Edward still love her once he knew the truth? Did she dare tell him that he had a daughter she had given away to protect? The possibilities, the hope were way too overwhelming, and she broke in Edward's arm. For the first time since she had run from James, there was no fear of the what if's, could have's, or should have's in regard to him. Now they were there with Edward. She also knew that for her and Edward to move forward, together, in this life, the previous needed to be swept away. She couldn't live with another lie. She would have to go back and show herself and answer questions she was sure the authorities would have for her. And she would have to take Riley back with her. He was James' only living offspring-illegitimate or not._

 _She would allow herself that only one day of comfort in Edward's arms. The next day, she and Riley would return to St. Martins. She would wait and clear the past before building a solid future with Edward and Elizabeth._

 _As if knowing her thoughts, Riley went to her and held himself to her and Edward until she brushed his growing bangs from his face. Before she could say whatever it was that was that was waiting for her, he said what he had to before the guilt became too much._

 _"I won't stay there. You and Edward are my family," he whispered so only she could hear._

 _"Absolutely. Whatever it takes, Riley," Bella promised. "Whatever it takes."_

 _That night, Edward celebrated with his family: his mother, Elizabeth, his brother, Riley, and his future wife, Bella. That night, the family circle grew by one when Edward's boss, Garrett, arrived-unannounced as had become the usual. Escorting the man into the living room, Edward smiled when he looked at his mother and saw, for the first time since his father had passed, a light filled her eyes and overflow. Elizabeth's eyes were the only visible sign that something had changed deep inside._

 _The next morning was filled with heartbreak as Edward watched, helplessly, as while Bella packed a case for herself and Riley._

 _""Bella, why are you doing this? You need to stay with me. I . . . I just got you back. I'm not ready to let you go. I will never be ready to let you go," Edward said, begging Bella to see reason._

 _"Edward, don't you see? You never really had me. Until this..." Bella bowed her head, thinking. How could she explain herself so that he would understand? Did he not know she didn't want to go, that she was going for both of them, all of them? "Until my life with James is in the past, we have no future. I understand he's dead and that I'm a free woman to do as I see fit. My father wanted that marriage for me, and I can't let the police think that I'm dead when I'm not. We'll be back soon. Before you have time to miss us." What Bella wanted to tell him was that she had to fix things and find their daughter. She had to see Dr. Cullen and his gentle wife Esme._

 _"I already miss you. Bella, please, think this through a little longer." Edward was pulling on his hair, small strands lingered between his fingers when he pulled them away as he followed her into the living room and to the front door._

 _Bella walked out the front door with Riley standing next to her as she loaded their case into the buggy she had convinced Garrett to tether._

 _"Edward," Garrett said, forcing him to look away from Bella. When Edward's eyes were set on Garrett's, he continued. "Let her go. If you want a future with her, let her do this her way. Otherwise, she will never come back whole." Garrett didn't know what fueled Bella's passions, but he knew that she had been hurt deeply and until she could reconcile that side of her life, she would never truly be free to be with Edward. There would always be something that divided her spirit. He'd watched it for six months waiting for Edward to come up the mountain._

 _Edward moved quickly forward to support his future as she lifted herself from the ground into the buggy. "I'll be waiting..."_

 _"And I will be back. I love you, Edward Anthony Masen. Forever." There was no way Edward could deny the certainty in her voice. He shoved his hands into his pockets as Garrett sat in the driver's seat and listened to the leather straps crack on the backs of the horses. He watched at the buggy moved further and further away until it was out of sight._

 _Elizabeth watched her son from the living room window, concerned and uncertain how her son would handle the loss this time._

 _Once they reached the train station in Gulfport, Garrett helped Bella down from the buggy and followed her and Riley as he carried their bag. He waited, biding his time until the tickets were purchased and they stood at the loading dock._

 _"Bella, I know this is something that you feel you have to do," Garrett began. He knew it was not his place, but he had come to love Edward as a son. He was also developing deep feelings for Elizabeth. "I've come to care for you and Riley like my family. So, please, don't take so long doing what you feel is right. Hurry home because we need you both, too." He gave her a strong hug, then patted Riley on the head before leaving. He would not show the emotions that were building inside and ready to break his rough exterior._

 _"We'll be home before you know it," Bella said as Riley's emotional eyes met hers, but he said nothing. WThe waiting for the train to load took longer than the actual journey, and before they knew it, they had arrived in St. Martins. Bella's stomach rolled as she stepped off the train. She took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve before clasping Riley's hand and leading the way from the station._

2011

"Hi. My name is Alice Brandon," she said, gaining the olive-skinned woman's attention who was working behind a desk, dusting. "I was hoping you could help me learn more about Gulfport in the early 1900's."

"Well, hello, Alice Brandon. I'm Shelly, Shelly Cope," the woman replied happily as she laid her dusting cloth down. "Is there anything specific I can help you with? Gulfport has a rich, rich, history, you know."

Jasper smiled as Alice almost burst at the seams laughing. "Well, actually there is. I moved into the old house out on Meadow Lane. It was built by an Edward Masen about a hundred years ago. Maybe we could start there?" Alice asked hopefully.

"Well, my, my, my. I don't know about an Edward Masen, but there was an Elizabeth Masen who married my great-something-uncle, Garrett Trueso. In fact, here, let me show you," the strange woman said cueing them to she lead them further into the building. "Elizabeth Masen was famous around these parts during the depression era. She taught at the local school up until the day she died. The only reason I remember anything about it is because the stories passed down through the family," she prattled on. "She was definitely a woman before her time. She didn't agree with segregation and made time to teach the black folks in these parts how to read and write during the day and blacks in the afternoon and evening. Some people believed that was the reason the barn out at your place was burned down, but I don't reckon that matters much nowadays. I believe she had a daughter that was chased out of the area, too. This here stack of newspapers and this journal might help Y'all," she spoke as she pointed to an antique desk setting again the wall. If you still have questions after going through all of this, the library has these old newspapers on microfiche or on computer."

After scanning several stacks of documents and newsprint, the two had learned quite a bit about Elizabeth Masen and Garrett Trueso and their public life but gained little insight into their private one. They were just about to give up and head over to the library that Shelly Cope had mentioned when the woman herself returned with a few more books.

"I got to thinking about things, and thought these old photo albums from the community might help you two out," she said as she placed the small box she had been caring on the floor. "Oh, and did I fail to mention that desk is the same desk they found her Mrs. Mason slumped over in the schoolhouse?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope," Jasper said as he lifted the box from the floor and placed it next to the papers they had finished scanning for clues.

"And no, you didn't mention that," Alice added looking at the desk and rubbing the key that hung around her neck. Was it possible? Could it be?

"You don't think...," Alice said, trailing off as she untied the ribbon from around her neck.

"You found that key with Edward's letters. It's possible, I guess. But that also means that Elizabeth Masen. . . or Garrett Trueso hid those letters."

Nervously, Alice slid the key into the antique lock. With a deep breathe she twisted the key until she heard a click.

Across the street, Emmett and Rosalie weren't having much luck.

After showing his badge to the girl behind the counter, she'd finally agreed to help them. Emmett stood up front while Rosalie tried to keep her children calm. Neither Trevor nor Sierra were happy about being cooped up in the building all morning and let that be known on more than one occasion.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not finding anything on those names from that time period," the woman sitting behind a plate glass looking at her computer screen said. "Are you sure they were born at Gulfport hospital?"

"I didn't think about that. I should have known better. Sorry to have wasted your morning, Arron. We should be looking in Biloxi or St. Martins," Emmett said irritated with himself.

"Um, folks. . . wait a minute. We've been looking for birth records, not records for the deceased, or marriage records. Let's try those names again." Within minutes, the clerk, Arron, smiled, "bingo!"

"Oh, thank god," Rose said as she hiked Sierra up on her hip, again.

By the time the woman had printed everything she could find, it was almost lunchtime, and the bill was over a hundred dollars. Reluctantly, Emmett paid the bill. Maybe they wouldn't have to go to Biloxi or St. Martins after all. Emmett tried keeping the most relevant papers on top for quick reference.

Emmett, Rosalie, and the kids were already seated and halfway through their lunch when Alice and Jasper came through the door laughing.

"It's about time, and what the hell is that?" Emmett asked, pointing to the box Alice was carrying as he chewed and swallowed his food.

"Gold," Alice said, placing the box she was toting next to him, forcing him to move further into the booth. Jasper grabbed a chair and sat at the front of the table, allowing Alice to sit next to her brother.

"Well, Arron found these for us," Rose said, passing over the folder she possessed. "Now, what do we do?"

"First thing I'm doing is eating," Alice said, waving over to Amanda. "The usual, please."

Jasper finally ordered something to eat when his boss delivered Alice's vanilla Pepsi.

Digging through the box and quickly scanning documents, Alice found a larger printed copy the photo Jasper had shared with her once upon a time. Privately, Alice wondered how long ago that had been. It felt like a hundred years ago and yesterday, all at the same time. In reality, it had only been just a few weeks. Time surely was a fickle beast. Unlike his photo, this one showed more detail.

"Remember Mrs. Cope saying something about a barn burning down? This article is about that," Jasper said. "It's dated October 25, 1911. Says here that a woman, only known as Victoria, was one of two fatalities of the fire, the owner of the property, Edward Anthony Masen, sustained injuries and never regained consciousness before leaving behind his mother, Elizabeth Masen, and his new wife. It doesn't say anything about a son or brother, nor does it give the wife's name." Jasper was confused. Edward Masen and Bella Swan were his great-grandparents, but there was no mention of children, and the article seemed to have left a lot of information out, like the names of his wife and mother.

"Jasper," Rose said, speaking up. "Can we table this conversation for a while? I think the kids need a break. They've been so good all morning. . ."

"Yeah," Emmett pipped in. "I don't think we're going to find all the answers in one day."

While everyone finished eating, a plan to visit the park and let the kids run around was hatched. There, they would relax and enjoy a few hours and not dwell on the information they had gathered, and the kids needed a little time to play.

* * *

 **Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I feel so guilty for not updating sooner. But you all know that I get easily distracted with homework... ugh. The good news is, is that I pasted my midterms with flying colors. I can't believe we are already gearing up for finals. WTF happen to midterms being in the middle of the semester. I, wait! I know! They kept delaying them because they couldn't find enough instructors to test us. Bwahh. Worked out good for me. Finals start in 2 weeks.**

 **Now, let's get back to more important matters. Yes, the new chapter. Edward must be heartbroken at this point of the game. Is anyone asking why he didn't jump up in the wagon and go along? I couldn't believe he just sat there! Garrett... hmmm. Something funny there? or is it just me? And the key around Alice's neck? Bet you all were wondering when that would come into play weren't you? Trust me, I was too until Alice finally spilled the beans. I always feel like she knows/remembers more than what she lets on. Jasper? Emmett? Now, ain't he a confusing mass of muscles? Rosalie ain't so bad?**

 **I am looking forward to hearing what you guys think about this chapter. Dig deep. Less than 10 chapters away from the ending now. And please remember the three R's of fanfiction. Read, Review, and recommend!**

 **See you soon, but probably not until after finals week!**


	33. Chapter 33

Lost Loves of Meadow Lane

Chapter 33

 _July 5, 1911_

 _After securing a hotel room across from the terminal, Bella set out for the police station, leaving Riley to watch over their belongings. The quicker she could finish the business she had come to do, the sooner she could find her daughter and they could all return to Edward._

 _"Excuse me. I'm James Whitherdale's widow," Bella announced to the desk clerk once her turn had arrived. The officer's eyes grew wide_ _at her_ _announcement, and he stammered over his words._

 _"Mrs. Whitherdale-" he said before Isabella cut him off._

 _"Swan. Ms. Swan."_

 _"We thought you were dead, Ms. Swan," the officer replied._

 _"And that is why I have returned upon hearing that Mr. Whitherdale is no longer living. I could not allow people to believe that a crime may have been committed when in fact none had."_

 _"If you will follow me, I believe the lead investigator will have questions for_ _you,_ _Ma'am." The officer_ _led_ _Isabella through the lobby and up a flight of stairs to a private room where he left her before going to_ _notify_ _investigator of Mr. Whitherdale's case._

 _Isabella paced the room. Ten minutes had gone by, then fifteen. She was beginning to doubt that she had done the right thing by coming when the door opened and an older man stepped through, closing the door behind him. He gestured for her to sit before he spoke. "Thank you, Mrs. Whitherdale, for coming. It is a relief for us to know that you are well and unharmed."_

 _An hour later, Isabella was not sure if the police believed her story. Only time and locating Dr. Cullen would tell. It was reassuring, after what she and Riley had suffered, to know that the police were looking for Victoria Suther, as well. Bella had never known the woman's last name, and her last name didn't matter now. All she wanted was to visit Dr. Cullen, his wife, and her daughter. But before she could find them, she had to_ _meet_ _with James' lawyers now that it had been proven she was alive. In her mind, it was merely a formality. She didn't want anything from him. She had what she wanted her freedom._

 _The next day, after her meeting with a lawyer named Jason Jenks, Bella roamed the streets, trying to figure out what to do with the knowledge he had bestowed._ _Because_ _James Whitherdale, her belated husband, had no will nor children, she was entitled to everything the man had built: his legacy._

 _Mr. Jenks denied knowing anything about an illegitimate son when Bella had corrected his misnomer. Mr. Jenks had suggested public records but doubted that she would find much as Victoria Suther had lived in a house of ill-repute prior to taking up with Mr. Whitherdale, and for him to have any claim to the estate, he would need proof. Until then, everything belonged to her: the house, the company, a boat she knew nothing about, and the new car he had bought after she had disappeared-everything._

 _The funny thing was she didn't want any of it. She wanted to go home, to Edward, to be his and only his._ _Somehow, she_ _was going to have to find a way to prove that Riley was James' son. And how did she do that, and keep Riley_ _safe?_ _And in any case, she would have to meet with the Assistant manager of JW Imports, Wes Prescott._

 _The next morning, Bella hailed a taxi and was delivered to JW Imports where she met with Wes Prescott. Mr. Prescott was an older man. He introduced himself and offered her his hand along with his condolences. He seemed taken aback when Bella didn't respond to his sympathies and plunged forward with their interview. By the time_ _their_ _meeting was over, Wes and Bella both felt more relaxed. She was not the only one that had not liked her husband. The only reason Wes Prescott had stuck out working for James Whitherdale was of the_ _employees_ _. He genuinely cared about the people he worked with, and Bella had agreed to continue letting him run the company until she figured out what she was going to do. The company was profitable despite its deceased owner and the investigation by the IRS it was under. Mr. Prescott was sure that once everything panned out, the company would survive, and maybe placing the company under new management might be a good idea once word got out about the investigation._

 _After two weeks in Biloxi, both Bella and Riley were ready to return home, but police once_ _again_ _deferred her departure. Bella was faced with an uphill battle regarding Riley. Unable to prove paternity, the state stepped in to remove him from her care and threats of kidnapping charges forced Bella to do the one thing she didn't want to do-get Edward involved._

2011

When Emmett had said they wouldn't find all the answers they were looking for in a box or overnight, he wasn't joking. It had been two weeks, and Jasper and Alice were still digging. Though, on the plus side, they had discovered a lot about their family's backgrounds.

Rosalie and the children had to return to Biloxi after a few more days. She hadn't planned on staying but a few days in the first place. She thanked Alice for being such a gracious host and not holding her past failures against her before she said goodbye.

Rosalie resisted saying goodbye to Emmett, even though she liked him she was still nervous that he knew the truth about her past transgression. But she smiled when he followed her out to the car and helped her load the kids and buckle them into their car seats for the trip back to Biloxi. And when she asked him how he was going to handle that knowledge, he assured her he had a plan in good conscious he could live with and that she was just going to have to have a little faith. When he hugged her instead of saying goodbye, she smiled and ducked her head before slipping into the driver's seat. If he wanted to contact her, Jasper knew her number.

Jasper and Emmett spent a few days, when Jasper wasn't working, tackling a few of the bigger jobs left on Alice's home improvement list. As they all sat around at night, Alice discovered another picture of the house which displayed a wrought iron archway that spanned the driveway. After meeting Seth, Emmett wasn't surprised why Alice liked him and had reached out and helped him with his schooling. "Seth's a good young man," Emmett commented when Seth returned with news that he knew someone who was willing to replicate the gate. Alice was thrilled. Seth had an Uncle that welded but he needed a photo, which Alice handed over quickly.

Emmett quietly watched as his sister and Jasper seemed to get closer and closer without realizing it. Unknowingly to Alice, Emmett was glad she couldn't remember her ex-fiancé because neither he nor their father could stand the guy. It had been easy to chase the idiot off after she had lost her memory, and they decided never to mention him to Alice. He had told his dad over the phone one time when his sister had run to town that Jasper was good for her.

The day Emmett returned to Biloxi, Alice joined him while Jasper worked repaying Paul for working several double shifts in his place. Emmett laughed when Jasper suggested she ride with him instead of returning home alone late at night.

Alice glared at her brother but softened when Jasper offered to come and pick her up at the end of his sift. That way, Alice could spend time with her brother. Emmett agreed, liking that idea of him driving Alice home. What he didn't mention or remind Alice about was that Jasper would be meeting their father. It was obvious Alice didn't consider what would happen when they reached her hometown or how their Dad was going to react to having a man he hadn't met show up.

"So, what are you really after, Alice?" Emmett questioned once they were on the road.

"I want to find out more about Great Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme," Alice said defeated. "How did you know?" she asked turning slightly in her seat to look at her brother.

"You got into my Jeep without much of a fight," he stated then burst out laughing at her shocked expression. "Now, what's really going through that brain of yours?"

"You know how I love a good mystery. Between Isabella's letters being so cryptic and the mention of our great-grandparents, Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Esme Cullen, it just doesn't add up," Alice said in a frustrated tone, looking back out the passenger's window.

"What doesn't add up?" Emmett's tone was sharper than he had wanted, but her statement had caught him off guard.

"The dates, Emmett, the dates."

The rest of the drive they spent in speculation as both thoughts about Alice's concerns. Alice knew there was no use in trying to explain. Emmett didn't believe in ghosts, and if you had asked her before she had bought the house, she would have agreed. Her concerns had weighed heavily in her mind but she hadn't shared them with Jasper, though she knew she should have. She didn't want to add another roadblock in there growing relationship until she knew if her suspicions were correct or not.

Instead of dwelling on the topic, Alice changed directions, redirecting the conversation toward her brother and Rosalie. "What is your plan?" she questioned. "You and Rosalie seemed to hit it off, everything considered." Alice laughed at the choking sound her brother made before composing himself.

"Well, it's hard being a police officer knowing she committed a crime and didn't come clean, but I know she wanted to, and even tried to, but Jasper wouldn't let her. He blamed himself because he had called her and she went out to get him. I get it. I'm not heartless. I'm still a human being. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Wait and see? My ass! I like her, and you need to tell me what you're going to do." Alice and Emmett playfully bantered back and forth for the next few hours as they neared their father's house.

* * *

A/N In celebration of another school semester down, I hope you all enjoy the update! Everyone's thoughts have been amazing in the reviews. I can't wait to see what happens and what you think over the next few chapters.

The 3 R's of Fanfiction. Read, Review, and Recommend


	34. Chapter 34

Lost Loves of Meadow Lane

Chapter 34

 _July 12, 1911_

 _Twenty-four hours after the operators switched Isabella's call to the Gulfport operator, Edward arrived in Biloxi by train. Garrett had agreed to stay at the house and take care of his mother while he was gone, though they did not know how long that would be. Edward had been a whirlwind, gathering and filling a bag with clothes and money, and had he taken to ride the horse or taken the buggy he could have beaten the messenger boy back to town and arrived next to Bella's side the same night. But he didn't want to leave his mother stranded or find a place to board the horse. Taking the train gave him less to worry about._

 _His time apart from Bella had felt like an eternity though only a week had passed. When his arms automatically closed around the woman who rushed into them, he felt as if he had been transported home. His shoulders relaxed and his back bent slightly as he cradled her close. His eyes closed as he buried his face in her chestnut hair breathing in deeply the feminine scent of her hair. His embrace tightened around her as she squeezed him closer. If they could be any closer they would have melted into each other's being._

 _"We will never be apart like that again," Edward whispered into her hair. There was a hint of laughter when she nodded, then shook her head, and nodded again. Eventually, they were forced apart as fellow passengers bustled around them, bumping and tosseling the couple._

 _"Riley is at the hotel," Bella said as she considered the green eyes she had been missing for days. If she had not been smiling, her watery eyes would have made Edward nervous. He wiped away her tears with his thumb, desperate to kiss her lips. But they were in public, so he kissed her forehead instead._

 _"Lead the way," Edward ordered. He would have called her beautiful but didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Besides, they didn't use sappy pet names for each other._

 _Arriving at the Hotel, Edward secured himself a room before meeting Bella and Riley at the restaurant. He was too excited at being reunited to be tired. When he heard his name called loudly over the small crowd of people present, he guessed Riley was excited too as the young man quickly darted around obstacles and crashed into him in welcome._

 _"I missed you, Edward," Riley said after finishing his hug. Bella walked behind giggling and Edward was glad to see a spark of the Bella he had fallen in love with back._

 _As they sat to eat, Bella shared a few of the highlights of the past week. Edward listened, not so patiently, and interrupted several times to ask a question. Bella seemed to shy away when He asked about James' lack of a will. As smart as the man seemed he couldn't believe that he failed to secure one for the safety of his business. It didn't seem like sound business planning not to have one. He looked at Bella who wouldn't meet his gaze. She was hiding something, or lying, but he had no clue as to what and he didn't want to push his luck. He had just arrived. He would give her time and then bring the subject up later. A smile quirked at the edge of his lips. She was such a bad liar, he thought to himself, and he loved her just a little more for it._

 _"Bella, have you thought about having this Wes fellow run the company until Riley is old enough to take over. You could use the money to further his education," Edward suggested. If James Witherdale had married his mother and officially given the young man his last name, the business would have been his. It wasn't Riley's fault he was born out of wedlock._

 _Bella's eyes widen in obvious shock. "No, I hadn't thought of that."_

 _"I'm here now, Bella. I'm not going anywhere, and together, we will figure everything out," he told her and watched her visibly relax. He reached across the table and whipped a happy tear from the top of her cheek with his thumb. Having Bella back in this life, Edward had become accustomed to the emotional side of Bella. One day, he would have to talk to Riley, if she wouldn't share the weight she was caring with him. Maybe then he would understand the sadness that was often evident._

 _"I don't want it," Riley exclaimed. "I don't want any part of it," he stated firmly, and Edward knew from the hate-filled eyes and the set of Riley's jaw, now was not the time to ask more questions._

 _"So, what did the police say?" Edward asked._

 _"They are still investigating. Could we talk about this later?" Bella asked. She didn't want Riley to know what was going on and why she had called Edward, at least the real reason._

 _Edward conceded and turned the conversation in another direction. "What do we want to do for the rest of the day?" he asked._

2011

Jasper pushed himself at work. The sooner he had everything done, the sooner he could leave once the restaurant closed. It seemed that Mel had no life other than the one he lived behind the counter in the kitchen. Jasper couldn't think of a single time since he had started working at Ren's that the man wasn't present. Jessica was waiting on tables and the only time he saw her is when he grabbed the caddy and bussed tables. His job would never end if he had left that part of the job up to her, even if it was her responsibility. Pushing another tray stacked with glasses and cups into the dishwasher, he looked at the clock ticking away on the wall.

"One more hour... one more hour," he repeated to himself. He went to grab the mop and bucket from the janitor's closet. He filled it with clean water after pouring out the old, planning on starting near the refrigerators first.

"Hey, Jazz," Jessica said from behind him. He rolled his eyes before saying anything. He had known at some point she would seek him out.

"Yeah," he replied as he used then handle on the bucket to squeeze the excess water out. When the mop hit the floor, it made a plopping sound and he started moving the mop back and forth.

"So, I have your split of the tips from tonight," she said hesitantly. Normally, Jasper ignored Jess (as he had come to call her) but the tone she used caused him to stop and look at her with concern. His brows were pulled together tightly, as he took in her appearance. There was something off in the way she stood and the way she looked everywhere but him. Usually, she was acting like she was in heat, or something when she spoke to him.

"You alright, Jess," he asked, watching as her shoulders dropped and she turned her face away.

"Why is it always girls like her that get the guy?" Jess asked. Jasper knew who she was talking about, but didn't understand why. "I'm pretty... and smart. I haven't always been this bitter. I used to be funny and fun." Her rant made Jasper uncomfortable, along with her tears. Jasper didn't know what to do. He tried to make her feel better. Didn't girls like hugs? He reached out and touch her shoulder.

"You have Mike. He seems like a good guy. Maybe you should have this conversation with him," Jasper told a now crying Jessica. It wasn't until her lips were on his, that he panicked.

"What the fuck, Jess?" Jasper shouted, pushing her away.

"Jess. that's enough," Mel's voice interrupted from behind. Jasper was shocked and disgusted. What was Alice going to think, he asked himself.

"Jasper, go on. We'll finish up here," Mel said, or ordered as he glared at the young waitress.

Repulsed by what had transpired, Jasper quickly grabbed his jacket and ran. It wasn't until he was sitting at the light in his car that he realized he would be showing up to get Alice an hour early. He reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out the directions Emmett recited before setting them beside him on the seat. Jasper's grin spread as he pressed the gas when the light turned green.

He couldn't remember a time he had been this excited about picking a girl up, and he didn't want something in return but her company. He about hit the brakes on his car when he realized that he was developing deep feelings for the beautiful snarky woman who had invaded his home, and now his life. He thought about the first time he had seen her and how much she looked like his great-grandmother. He thought about how she seemed to love his childhood home as much as he had before his father had left them. But then he was hit with how unlucky at love his family had been, going all the way back to Edward and Isabella Masen.

He thought back to the time he had confessed to his mother that he was falling in love with a new girl that had moved to Gulfport. He was a junior in high school and couldn't wait to share the news with his mother. She had been excited for him, but there was a sadness hidden behind it. When he questioned his mother, her confession that she loved his father but had never been in love with him, filled Jasper with guilt. A week later, he understood what his mother had been talking about when he realized he had been infatuated and not in love with the girl. Was he in love with Alice, he asked himself. What he felt now was different than what he had felt back then, but was it real or a figment of his imagination.

He wondered what was going to happen once they uncovered the families' mysteries. Did Alice experience some of the same things living in the house that he had when he was younger-before he had become angry and bitter? Or was it the mystery, and the fact that Alice had found his great grandfather's letters that pulled him to Alice? Or was it something else? It didn't matter, he decided. Whatever this. . . this thing was, he would bask in it and pray.

By the time he reached his destination, he was more confused than not from the questions that had turned in his head. Taking a deep breath and letting it escape slowly, he raised his hand to knock on the door. He recognized Emmett's Jeep, but who did the gray Lincoln belong to? His clutched hand meet with the door four times, knocking, before the door swung wide. A man much older than himself he didn't know stood in the opened doorway looking at him speculatively.

"Can I help you?" the man asked with a raised eyebrow that resembled Emmett and Alice's. Before Jasper could answer, he heard Emmett's and Alice's laughter from somewhere deep in the upscale home, along with Alice's shrill, "Daaad..." cueing him to know who stood at the door.

"Hi, Mr. Brandon. I'm Jasper Whitlock. I'm here to escort Alice back to Gulfport," Jasper said, trying to sound confident. Mr. Brandon stepped aside and allowed the man entrance mumbling Jasper's last name, Whitlock, in a questioning tone as a shiver shook through him.

"We were just looking through old family photo albums my wife dug out of the attic. I understand you might be interested in the information as well," Mr. Brandon stated as he led the way through the house to the formal living room toward the back of the house.

The ranch-style house had a calming effect that Jasper attributed to the light saggy color on the walls. He quickly took in the photos that were hung in the hall as he passed. The formal dining room was the same color with whitewashed bead-board covering the area between the carved chair rail and floor. A thick cream colored Berber carpet covered the floor, and the couch where Alice and Emmett sat was a slightly darker color than the walls.

It took mere seconds and Alice was already moving around the table. Her face was filled with delight and that was a sparkle in her eyes as she nearly tripped over the table. Emmett was still laughing as he rubbed a spot on his chests.

"You owe me five bucks, Alice," Emmett said, still laughing, and Alice's quick word, "Jasper," blended together.

"You're early," Alice added standing in front of him, looking into his eyes.

"If I didn't know better, one might think you missed me," Jasper said, mesmerized with the warmth he found waiting in her brown ones.

"Jenny!" The exasperated voice of Alice's father boomed breaking the spell between his daughter and the stranger John knew was here to stay.

* * *

A/N Gulp! I don't think Mr. Brandon is a happy man. Do you agree? Riley sure is assuring his individuality (leftover vocabulary from watching a Voyager marathon). Maybe things will level out now that Edward is there. What do you think?

The 3 R's of Fanfiction are read, review, and recommend. Thank you all for being such wonderful followers. You Amaze me every chapter.

Just think, 9 chapters left.


	35. Chapter 35

Lost Loves of Meadow Lane

Chapter 35

 _July 14, 1911_

 _"Can we go to the park and go fishing?" Riley asked hopefully. Edward thought it was a wonderful idea when he noticed a small smile on Bella's face as she looked at Riley. He excused himself from the table convinced that Bella and Riley needed a break from the drama of being back in Biloxi. They seemed to need a reminder that their life was just beginning, again._

 _It seemed that Edward, Bella, and Riley, were not the only people that had planned a day outdoors when they arrived. The park was in the first stages of becoming a major attraction in Biloxi though it still had a lot of work to be done it was open to the public. There was an area for picnic's and several small boats were visible floating on its surface. A man leaving the area with another small boy boasted about the fish they had caught._

 _Edward squeezed Bella's hand before pushing Riley's shoulder in the direction of the dock. The hour on the water only proved that Edward was right. He wasn't getting the whole story from Bella. Riley didn't have a lot of answers but was filled with fear as Edward engaged him in mild conversation._

 _"Edward, I won't go... I'll run away. Please don't let them take me. Victoria, she's really bad. Don't tell Bella, but I don't think she is my mother. I mean, I look like James, so he might be my father. I feel like...like I'm a... I don't know..." Riley said, starting to ramble. He fell silent and his shoulders dropped when he realized he did not have the words needed to explain how he felt._

 _A bittersweet moment, Edward realized that he already thought of Riley as family-a brother. There was no way he was going to let the state take him away. He was going to have to spend some time alone and try to figure this mess out himself but he needed more information than what he had. He watched Riley struggle emotionally. His heart gave a tug._

 _"Like a pawn, in a chess game?" Edward offered. "Is there anyone who knew Victoria before... say, when you were little?"_

 _Riley thought about it before offering an answer. "There is this guy that came around when James was out of town. I think he's Cajun. I always went to my room until he left. Sometimes they talked in the parlor and I could listen through the vents. I bet he knew mom for a long time."_

 _"Do you know a name, Riley?" Edward questioned._

 _"Larry, Lauren... Laurent..." Riley said. His eyes sparkled remembering the last name he gave._

 _An hour later, they returned to the shore and docked the boat unsuccessful at bringing back any fish. Bella had laid a blanket on the ground and offered them a drink as they sat next to her on the blanket. Edward let Riley tell Bella about the fish they almost caught but got away when Edward tried to get it off the hook. For the rest of the afternoon, they pretended that this was their life, free of drama, forced marriages, broken hearts, and death._

 _That night, when Bella retired to her room, Edward left the hotel in search of the Cajun named Laurent. Edward had asked around by dropping hints of what he was looking for and was directed toward the more corrupt part of town. Women stood in doorways showing more skin then was respectable, eyeing him as if they wanted more than he was willing to give. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a few bills as he came face to face with a woman of the night._

 _"Do you know a man named Laurent?" Edward asked._

 _"Sorry, Mister. Your moneys no good here." The woman said then turned and reentered the doorway and several others followed._

 _The point between night and dusk had passed hours before Edward journeyed back towards the hotel, Bella and Riley. Frustrated, he walked passed many of the same doors where he had already been turned away earlier by people who were afraid to speak, or so he thought. There had to be an answer somewhere that would allow Bella to be his, forever, he just had to find it._

 _As he walked along the cobblestone sidewalk that ran along a small park, he contemplated what to do next. Edward didn't notice the figure standing in the shadows, watching him until he heard a cough. Looking into the darkness, he saw nothing but white teeth grinning and eyes that examined him from head to toe. Edward's thoughts traveled to a story his mother had read to him once as a boy-The Cheshire Cat. The man stepped from the shadows before he began to speak. He was tall, but not as tall as Edward himself. His hair was long and hung in braids (or something) down to the man's chest. His skin was a dark brown, a hint of olive mixed in. His voice was thick with an accent that he almost didn't understand and had to concentrate on what was being said instead of what was going on around him._

 _"I know who ya are, and why ya came. This is me home and ya ain't welcome here. Ya not find what you seek. The witch ya look'n for is dangerous She takes what isn't hers before, and if she needs, she will taken again in ways that makes the devil proud. If she get her hands on you, the misses be cry'n at your funeral. Take yo, fox colard hair green-eyed, self back home. You hear me, boy?"_

 _"Is Victoria Suthers Riley's mother? That is all I want to know," Edward asked after digesting the warning he was being given. or was it a threat. He wasn't sure._

 _"Her name was Thelma. Now go home, Edward Masen."_

2011

Alice's mother, Jenny, smiled while her father, John, glowered at Jasper. The conversation over breakfast had covered light topics, led by Jenny, but Emmett knew it was only a matter of time before his dad blew his top and he silently counted down, waiting.

"What are your intentions toward my daughter?" John asked. His tone was serious and filled with warning.

"Dad," Alice interjected in shock and horror.

"Alice," Emmett warned a milli-second before her father's temper rounded on her.

"Mary Alice Brandon... I think it's time that this young man and I have a little chat," he said dismissively.

Emmett grabbed Alice by the arm and led his very spirited sister out of the room, snickering. "You got last named," he joked. "Don't worry, Dad won't harm him... physically." Emmett kept his sister sitting on the porch as they waited.

Where was the yelling? The screaming? Why was the house so quiet? Why was her dad doing this? What gave him the right to interrogate Jasper? He was here for her, not to be treated like a criminal... Alice mused silently.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Emmett said breaking the silence. "At least you don't remember the first time Dad raked one of your boyfriends over the coals. Think of this way. . . if Jasper walks out in one piece and still wants something to do with you, he might be worth the chance. If not then you didn't waste your time..."

"What in the... what are you talking about?" Alice asked in a confused voice. She listened intently as Emmett retold the story of a sixteen-year-old kid that came to pick her up for a school dance, only to be escorted to the dance by her father. The young man never spoke, or looked, at her again.

"But the difference," Alice said laughing. "Is that Jasper is not my boyfriend. He's my friend... I think..."

"Says you," Emmett teased. "That man is completely infatuated with you. Hell, he might even love you... maybe."

"He does not. I bought his house and he's sharing its history with me. That's all."

"Naive as the day you were born. Jasper definitely has some kind of feelings for you. And whether you realize it or not, you have feelings for him. You forget, I know you even if you don't remember. I haven't seen you smile like a love-sick puppy dog since you... woke up..."

Was she developing feelings for the lanky blonde-haired man with a southern drawl? Was she feeling more than friendship?

Alice's face showed blending emotions dictated by her thought as she sat in silent contemplation until the door opened and Jasper stepped out followed by her father.

"I'll take care of her, Mr. Brandon. St. Martins' and back, I promise..." Jasper turned to see Alice looking expectant. "Are you ready to find some answers, or would you like to visit longer?" he asked, directing his question to Alice.

She accepted his outreached hand and nodded, "Go."

"Emmett..." John said. His tone left no room for discussion. Jasper didn't seem surprised when Emmett looked his direction.

Both men knew what was expected and stood as before John shut the door. Emmett followed them to where Jasper's car sat and opened the passenger door. Before Alice could butt her way into the seat, Emmett pulled the seat forward, "Get in." Alice humphed her displeasure but did as she was told. Then Emmett squeezed himself into the front.

"We don't need a babysitter," Alice commented while still looking out the window. Both men grinned conspiratorially as Alice flopped herself back with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Why don't you drop me off at Rosalie's," Emmett said, once Jasper was settled in the driver's seat.

"Who said anything about a babysitter?" Emmett asked. "I'm staying with Rosalie and the kids today... and Dad doesn't need to know."

After dropping Emmett off and spending a few minutes with Rosalie, the drive to St. Martins was short lived.

"How do you know Rosalie?" Alice asked. She had yet to get the full story.

"Her husband, Royce, was my friend in the military. We were like brothers until he died," Jasper said. Then he started into a well-rehearsed monologue about his friend and the trouble they had gotten into while serving together.

"How did he die?" Alice asked when he was done sharing his story.

"A training accident." The dark tone Jasper used to end the subject eluded Alice and she asked another.

"What kind of accident?"

"The kind where I failed to protect my friend. It's my fault he died," Jasper finally answered. Maybe if he told her the whole story that would be enough warning to make her think twice about getting involved with him. The thought of them, together, scared him more than he was willing to admit. From what John had said, Alice deserved someone better than him. Could he risk falling for the dark-haired beauty next to him? Or was it already too late?


End file.
